The Blue Bird
by TPOK
Summary: She had always saved them, even at the price of her happiness. So when given the chance to change the past, will Naruto take it? Even if it meant sacrificing the precious bonds she made through sweat and tears? Though, how was she going to do that when she's reduced to a four and a half years old child? In addition, little Kakashi seems intent on driving her crazy. Eventual K/Fem!N
1. Prologue

Just to avoid confusion, this is set the moment Naruto appears to save Sakura and Hinata at the Fourth Shinobi World War arc.

WARNING: This is a **FEMALE NARUTO, TIME TRAVEL **fanfiction. It would also be a **FEMALE NARUTO AND KAKASHI** pairing. I'm not sure if this idea is often used, but the pairing was kindly suggested by someone. Since Naruto and Kakashi's age difference is too big for my preference (not that I have anything against age gaps) and that they're in a sensei-student relationship, I decided that it would be best if Female Naruto was thrown back in time.

DISCLAIMER: **I obviously don't own the original _NARUTO_ series.**

* * *

Sakura's eyes widened at the sudden appearance of her teammate. Much like the rest of the woman, her hair was alighted yet unburned by orange flames, brushed softly by the wind. Emerald orbs slowly drifted up and stayed on crimson, demonic ones, crinkled by a grin spread over the whiskered face. If she hadn't been in so much shock at the sight of her best friend, Sakura would have smiled in relief; the blonde had once again showed up to save the day.

"Sakura! Are you alright?"

"Naru…to? Wha—"

"_Watch out!_"

The alarmed yell had brought them out of their short-lived conversation. Both turned to the left to see a frantically running Konoha ninja—at least, that's what Sakura suspected from his green flak jacket. Behind him, a woman with fiery red hair flowing down tied up high, reaching her mid-back, was walking calmly in comparison, an engraved line cutting through the symbol of a whirlpool.

On first sight she looked so much like Uzumaki Kushina, but, taking a closer look, Naruto realized that the face was different. Sapphire eyes grew wide in shock, before the blonde jinchuuriki barely avoided a kick behind her that was aimed for her head. She turned to see another Zetsu clone and avoided his attacks, throwing in a few of her own. _Why would… _She ducked and quickly got up again to pound the plant-man's face in, but her hits distracted by her thoughts._ How did Kabuto get a hold of—!_

The ever growing bunch of Zetsus had left Naruto peevish, and, creating two firm claws, she powered a swirl of chakra. She dispersed one limb, as it has already served its purpose, and outstretched the other.

The Rasengan charged through the crowd of white and green.

None was left alive. Sakura, who's just finished treating her formerly dying patient, had her lips parted in pure awe. Before she had the chance to give a quick cheer, the pinkette noticed a blur of crimson from the corner of her eyes. They widened in horror at the sight of a seals filled hand after the half-dead woman from earlier came into her better view.

"_Naruto!" _

Said girl turned a mere second too late. The moment the woman's arm curved around her, her palm and fingertips came into contact with Naruto's stomach. The seal that had previously held the Nine Tails at bay closed painstakingly slowly, and the orange chakra that surrounded Naruto subsided. She shut her eyes before snapping them open again, and skimmed her hands through hand seals. She ignored the strange sensation that had wafted over her and, instead, focused on taking out and opening a storage scroll.

Her hands slammed it down as it was in midair and, with a pop, a tri-pronged kunai appeared within them.

Without a moment's hesitation, she threw it towards a clear space, and activated the Flying Thunder God technique.

* * *

Azure eyes fluttered open and immediately surveyed its surroundings. Naruto sat upright from the grass, stretching as a small frown settled on her face, trying to adjust to the darkness of the night; a completely different setting from where she had been a few mere seconds ago. How long had she been knocked out? _Or the more appropriate question is… _

_What _knocked her out?

The technique the whirlpool kunoichi used? Possibly. And also maybe because she hadn't used the Hiraishin in a long while. But that didn't explain why she was out here, in the open, without a spot of blood or carcass or _anything _to show that there was a bloody war going on in sight.

Only after her hitai-ate fell from her forehead and was by her neck did she noticed the feeling of her hair tied into two bunches. Bringing her hands up to confirm it, she scowled.

Was this some prank?

Sakura _knew _she didn't like putting up her hair like that. Not after her training trip with Jiraiya. Racking her hair out of the horrid hairstyle she noticed that instead of her long, slender fingers she had grown to narcissistically love, short, chubby hands were what greeted her eyes.

Naruto looked down and started hyperventilating. She patted her chest a few times, paling even more as she did so_. _Through her sleepy and dizzy state she had failed to notice the absence of her womanly growth and her unbelievably baggy clothes.

Her slightly tight, orange pants that had previously reached down to just below her knees were close to falling off, while her black and also orange jacket slung off one shoulder revealing a white shirt. Her shoes were many, _many _sizes larger, and she picked up her weapon holster along with the bandage strips. The latter had given her some relief; at least she had something to hold her clothes together.

But why did she _shrink?_

Naruto then noticed one important detail.

What happened to her chakra? She quickly slapped her hands together and concentrated. A bead of sweat trickled down the side of her face when she found that her chakra pools were _much _more violent than it had been before. Not only that, but it felt as if her levels had decreased greatly.

_It's also taking me so much more time to channel my chakra… _A worried crease developed between her brows, the graveness of the situation dawning her.

_She_ hadn't exactly shrunk_. _

Her _age _shrunk.

A vague image of the fiery haired woman shoving her hand against her stomach flashed in her mind.

Suddenly feeling faint, she unzipped her jacket and shook it off. The stomach was where a person's spiritual and physical chakra is created, isn't it? Reaching the hem of her shirt, she lifted it and saw the glowing red seals that littered around her stomach. Through the years of her training with the perverted sennin and her mastery at fuuinjutsu, she could make out most of the seals.

The characters drawn on her skin weren't looking too good on her.

Not only that, but because she had activated the Flying Thunder God technique that was also formed on the same area, it seemed to have mixed.

And another stack to overpower her problems. A curse escaped her lips.

Upon closer inspection, she noticed that under the recent seals the Hakke Fuuin which had kept the Nine Tails sealed before she unlocked it was seeping back into her skin.

Which meant that she has to go through the inner battle with the Nine Tails all over again unless she found a way to return back to her sixteen year old self.

She shook her head; it was best to find out about her current situation in a safer place. Using the bandage tape, she wound her pants tightly around her hips and tied her jacket around her waist.

Even with her heightened senses—due to her unwilling partner that lived in her gut—she couldn't hear a single person around. One thing she clearly noticed after thoroughly looking around was that the area changed.

Naruto growled in frustration; she had seen the same distinct, giant rock before she shrunk and after. Even though that single feature had proven the place was the same, it was as if all the trees and shrubs blown away had grown back in place.

She was sure she had checked _every inch _of the forest and the camps that were supposed to be around. Now she wasn't really sure anymore if the ninjas had just packed the tents up and ditched her. Not only was it _highly _unlikely in the first place, but there was absolutely no trace of a five nations worth of ninjas—genins not included—ever being here.

Plopping back on the boulder, she yawned tiredly. The Hiraishin had taken a lot of chakra unlike it usually does. _Strange…_

Her eyes drew to a close, and she succumbed to exhaustion.

* * *

Miraculously, she wasn't taken by enemies. No, instead, she woke up at the sounds of cheerful birds chirping, and a wonderful kink situated on her neck. _A brilliant way to start the morning, Naruto, _she thought sarcastically to herself.

Using her arms to prop herself up—bending her neck was absolutely impossible since it would only result in a sharp stab of pain—she noticed the position she was in.

Oh, her parents would be so _proud, _won't they?

Somehow she had managed to crawl up on the rock in her sleep and fallen off halfway without waking herself up. How on earth did the sweet chirpings of birds do the job? Shaking her head at her odd sleeping tendencies, she grumbled bemusedly.

Where were the others? There was absolutely _no one _around. With her mind clearer than it had been last night, she was sure that everyone had really packed up and left without her.

A gnawing feeling snapped her out of her thoughts, and she would have shrugged it off, had it not come again the next second when she stepped away from the rock, stronger.

After a moment of absent thinking, she snapped her fingers. Now she remembered why she needed to go back.

If there was one place with information on Uzushiogakure and its jutsus, it would most likely be Konoha. Uzumaki Mito could have stashed it away somewhere a _long_ time ago. All the blonde had to do was rush back to her home village's libraries and the Hokage Tower.

There was just one problem with that, though.

Where exactly _is _Konoha?

Scratch that, where exactly is _she? _Naruto hadn't really kept a clear head when she was going to the war field.

After several hours—_long _hours—she had finally stumbled upon a small town. There wasn't a single ninja living in it as far as she could tell, and the civilians sent her wary glances; most because she was wearing a forehead protector at her age—or what they _thought _was her age. One kind old woman had given her directions to Konohagakure, which was about a week away. Thankfully the granny had only asked if she would be fine alone and nothing else.

Naruto refilled her energy with many bowls of ramen—apparently, the coins she had were worth a lot more than it had been before. Odd, seeing as it was a time of war; not the most normal of wars, but a war nonetheless. But by the time she had been finished stuffing her stomach, it was nightfall. Fortunately, through her hunger she still had the right mind and made sure to keep her money. Renting an inn, she immediately got in and slept like a log.

* * *

Naruto gritted her teeth once again as another wave of pain attacked her head. It had been her fifth migraine during her way to Konoha, and two days had passed. The more she began or _tried _to think only served to make it stronger, often distracting her from staying on the path.

She groaned, glaring down at the ground as she clutched her scalp. What brought this on? Although it had only been a few tries, she had never gotten these effects from the Hiraishin, so it had to be the sealing jutsu the Uzu kunoichi had landed her with.

So far, she had reviewed the recent happenings and took a closer look at the marks on her stomach, but only came up with two things.

One, some of the characters show that it is a sort of chakra exchange jutsu, more complicated than most of the seals she had ever seen.

Two, it works fast to spread the user's chakra around the victim's body.

Because of those two results, an ominous feeling was slowly bubbling up inside her. Naruto's brows drew down as she bit her lip. The chakra control she had now was horrible, not only because of her shrunken state but because of the seal she had examined.

While fighting her headaches for the next couple of days, she had taken off her hitai-ate and stuffed it in the hidden pockets of her jacket. Looking at the open gates she knew all too well from a few meters away, a smile lighted her face. Her heart pounded excitedly at the thought of possibly finding her old clan's techniques and the way to return to her former age.

Guards she had never seen before were standing securely in front of the tall walls, and Naruto dashed to them. A frown developed on her lips when they stiffened at her approach.

Didn't they recognize her? Even if she was changed to a defenseless child, her hair and prominent whiskers should catch them _off_ guard. But, as she got closer, she noticed something different with the village she was so familiar with.

The buildings seemed to have reverted back to the ones she was running around during her childhood. And upon closer inspection, her mind blanked out.

The image of only three stone heads on the Hokage Monument was the last thing she saw before she fainted.

* * *

_Prologue completed._

I'm kinda (very) nervous about this... First time ever writing a fanfiction, not to mention my first attempt at writing a full blown story period... and I can't say I have much experience in writing other than class assignments.

Reviews filled with critique on my writing would be highly appreciated! Is it choppy? Are there run-on sentences? I think there are, but I'm not sure...

I wanna learn +.+

By the way, about the "Naruto narcissistically loving her hands" thing, just an idea that popped up when I was eating with my friends. One of them had really pretty hands, and when I pointed that out, she admitted that she wanted to do a hand modelling job. I never knew such an occupation existed O.O

Sorry about having an OC right at the beginning. But if Kabuto can find super old, unbelievably powerful supreme ninjas way back from-what? a hundred years?-then why not a whirlpool nin?

I've kinda studied chakra on Narutopedia (hehe) to make the jutsu the kunoichi used, by the way. So it's entirely made up from the Naruto world's logic.

Again, reviews please. +.+


	2. Chapter One

"…_**ruto."**_

_She stirred in the warm water, before the dark voice boomed again._

"_**Naruto!"**_

_Her eyes snapped open, and she sat up slowly, rubbing her pounding head. She looked up at the giant Nine Tails, before blinking; she hadn't expected to see the cage again. "What—Oh." She remembered. The seal had reverted back to its original state when she was affected by the whirlpool's jutsu. "Kyuubi." She greeted._

_He sneered down at her. __**"You are a careless, reckless idiot!"**_

"_So I've been told."_

_Other than the way Kyuubi's black lips curled downwards further, her reply gained no response. __**"I don't know whether to praise or curse your stupidity, girl. At least your inner form is still the same."**_

"_Huh?" The fox demon growled and slammed his claws down, splashing large amounts of water towards her. The teen scowled, she took off and began ringing her jacket, trying to dry it. She then noticed her hands and arms._

_A big, relieved grin slowly crept up on her face. "Hey! My fingers aren't chubby anymore!"_

"_**Would you **_**shut up**_** for a **_**second?" **_He sighed, trying to lessen the frustration he felt. __**"The technique that changed you… from what I can tell, if you don't stop it quickly, it would affect your mind as well."**_

"_What!"_

_His eyes looked down squarely on hers, the scorn dimmed down by his seriousness. __**"Your chakra is being… eaten, you could say, by the whirlpool kunoichi's chakra. I'm not entirely sure how such a thing is possible, but the user's chakra is multiplied when it passes through the seal and goes out the victim's body. You could say it's like bacteria, and that the white blood cells are outnumbered."**_

_Naruto's brows furrowed in confusion as she tried to soak in the information, and she said slowly, hesitantly, "Is the enemy's chakra still… inside me?"_

_**Of course. There's still more than plenty enough to get inside your brain, but right now it's still swarming around it. That's probably how you turned younger; I'd say you're between four and five after the jutsu's effects are done. I'm not entirely sure about this theory, but you're planning on finding out about it anyways, aren't you?"**_

"_Y-Yeah."_

"_**Well, you better get to it faster—the chakra's going to reach your brain soon. And after it does, it will consume the chakra working it, making you lose your memories along the way."**_

_Her eyes were wide, and a nervous bead of sweat rolled down the side of her face. "What will happen after it's finished?" The blood pumping in her veins felt like ice, and she knew the answer before he even said it._

_For the first time in her life, his blood red eyes averted from her. _

"_**You'll die."**_

_Silence stretched; their posture tense as the words crashed down on her. Naruto flexed her hands, as if trying to confirm that she was still there, in her mindscape. "How long do I have—?" He shook his head, and his demonic orbs were directed back down at her._

"_**I'm not sure. You'll have to find that out on your own." **__He sighed heavily, as if trying to lessen the weight on his shoulders. __**"It's just my estimation, but you probably have a couple of years at most. Also, I'll do what I can to exterminate the chakra, but I can't guarantee that it'll be much—this lousy seal your father made is blocking the way."**_

"_I see." She relaxed, but only slightly. The demon fox then pinned her with a glare._

"_**Don't laze around; you better not give up. I'm just as affected as you are, you pathetic excuse of a human. And remember: you won't be able to save your 'precious people' if you die, which would be a waste since you're a long way back in time."**_

_Naruto smiled softly. "You should know better than that—I'm not the type to give up am, I? And you're now one of my friends, Kyuubi. Like Hachibi and Killer B!" She missed the way his eyes widened when she remembered his last comment. "Hey, Kyuubi should I rip the paper off—"_

"_**There's no time for that now. You should wake up –Go."**_

"_Wha—Wait—" Before she could even ask what was happening, she had been forcefully pushed back to consciousness outside of her mind._

_The giant fox lied back down on his stomach. Kurama scoffed with a smirk on his face as he rested his head on his crossed paws. _

"_**Friends…" **__His glowing red eyes slowly drew to a close, __**"That idiot."**_

* * *

"…seemed to have been exhausted. There's odd activity in her chakra; it's as if another is invading her system, and we can't stop—"

"Oh, she's awake."

The young blonde blinked a few times, and was willing herself to calm down at the sight of Namikaze Minato standing by the door. When she sat up, some signs of alert must have been apparent on her face, so she covered it up by flicking her eyes around the room in false fright. "W-Where am I?" She already had a pretty good idea where; the smell of anesthetics was attacking her sensitive nose.

"Konohagakure's hospital." He replied gently, a warm smile on his tanned face. "I'm Minato. May you tell us your name?"

She then noticed the nurses shuffling to her with their hands in a green glow. In shock of seeing her father so soon, the blonde hadn't noticed the other occupants of the room. "Naruto. My name's Naruto." Saying her last name was most likely not a good idea.

"Alright, Naruto, how are you feeling?"

"Great, never better." A lie, but he didn't need to know that. She took off the blanket on her, realizing that she was in a hospital gown. "Where are my clothes?"

"They're right here." A nurse said with a bright smile on her face as she passed it over. "They seemed a little… big on you. Hope you don't mind, Naruto-chan."

She shook her head, politely receiving her bundle. "Thank you. I was planning on growing into them." She discreetly patted the spot of where her hitai-ate was in her jacket, and inwardly heaved a sigh of relief.

Her conversation with Kyuubi flashed in her mind, and she let a small frown mar her face. Staring down at the boots on top of her clothes, she absently noted that it had been thoroughly washed. She wouldn't be able to do everything on her own. She'd need help. _But, _she looked at Minato through her eyelashes, _who?_

A barely visible smile touched her lips, and she looked back down at her jacket; looks like she'll pay the Third Hokage a visit.

"Naruto?"

"Hm?" Her attention was reverted back to the blond man.

"I'm going to ask you a few questions. Is that alright with you?" She nodded, and matched his grin. "Good. First off, how old are you, Naruto?"

Remembering Kyuubi's words, she answered without missing a beat. "About four and a half years old."

"I see." Hesitantly this time, he asked, "Why is a child as young as you out in the forest alone?"

"My parents died on the day I was born." Naruto resisted the urge to cringe at the bluntness of her words.

The blond's face shifted from wary to solemn in understanding, "I'm sorry."

"I'm fine," especially since her father was alive and kicking right in front of her.

"Who were you with until now?"

"Oh, I had a teacher who taught me stuff and took care of me when he found me as a baby, and we stayed in a few small villages for a while." She chewed her lip thoughtfully, cooking up a lie that would pass through an elite ninja. "I got separated from him after an attack by ninjas, and he told me to run here while he held them off." She formed a crease between her brows and tried to imprint her words onto her brain; it wouldn't be a good idea to forget and arouse suspicion.

"I see." He averted his gaze. "I think it is best if we let you talk to the Hokage—he'll be the one to decide what happens from here on."

Naruto hid her triumphant grin with a grateful smile. "Thank you."

"I guess we should buy you some clothes first, though."

* * *

Minato watched the bubbly girl in amusement as she talked on about how it had always been her dream of being in Konoha, and soaked the buildings around them with awe. She now wore a plain orange shirt and black khaki pants that reached to her knees. Her shoes were the usual navy blue sandals, and her hair had been tied up in twin pigtails. Her reluctance ended rather quickly when he stated how cute she looked, and the memory alone brought a smile to his face. _The girl was weak against compliments, eh?_

Much too similar to a certain fiery redhead.

His amusement dwindled down to a mere façade now, as he pondered more onto that thought. Not only was Naruto's habits and personality alike with one Uzumaki Kushina, her facial structure as well as body frame was like a complete copy of her, only smaller and seemingly more fragile. _Not to mention how similar her hair is to mine…_

"Naruto," He caught her attention immediately, and gave a light smile. "Your sensei must be very strong if he managed to take care of you and himself alone, seeing as it is a time of war. Have you done any shinobi training with him?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah. But, er…" She paused, choosing her words carefully so she wouldn't sound like her age. "He said I have a lot of chakra, so I'm still trying to gain better control."

"Ah, I see. It'll be difficult to make a clone then, huh?"

"Well, he pointed that out to me and showed me this really cool version of it. He said that he got it off from a friend or something." She grinned; this lie was perfect. "It's called the… um… Oh yeah! The shadow clone jutsu!"

His eyes widened in surprise. "Can you do it?"

"No, not yet; I didn't really have time to get around to doing it, because the time he showed me how to do it was when we were attacked—Ah…"

Her own sentence reminded her of her current situation, and she looked down at her feet. _Funny, _she thought to herself in an attempt to lighten her spirits, _I never intended on stirring up a half lie… _She paused mentally. _Can you even call it that?_

"We're here, Naruto."

"Oh." Naruto looked up at the red tower. Nostalgia and longing wafted over her until she snapped herself out of it. "That's a huge building…"

"Mhm. I guess it is, isn't it?" He said nonchalantly, but she noticed that he was subtly watching her and inwardly cursed. She had often been told that she was like an open book—or rather; her _eyes _were like an open book. It revealed much too many of her thoughts and emotions.

The two blondes reached the office without any trouble; the staff didn't even bat an eye when Minato passed through the guards with her. So now, the two stood in front of Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had a brown brow raised in question.

After a moment, something seemed to have clicked in his head as he looked back and forth between the two. "Minato, did you by any chance…"  
The young man waved off his concern with a smile, "No, Hokage-sama. She's the one who was found outside the gates, remember?"

"Oh, so you're her, then. Hm…" He didn't let his eyes lift from Naruto's as he said dismissed the blond, "Minato, you may go now."

With a bow, the Namikaze left the room. "So, what's your full name, child?" Hiruzen asked softly, and Naruto perked up.

"Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto."

"Ah, so I was correct with my assumption then. Well, seeing as I haven't seen Kushina having an inflated stomach before in her many visits, I'm guessing that you don't come from here, do you?"  
The time traveler shook her head. "I'm from… well, just an estimation, but most likely twenty to thirty years into the future." She chewed her lip, eyeing the aging man carefully. "But… do you believe what I'm saying, Hokage-sama?"

"Partly," He admitted, folding his hands in front of his mouth and leaning onto the desk. "But time travel isn't impossible. What is making this hard to believe is that the person who's sent back many years is a girl as young as you. Your mental state shouldn't be able to handle—"

"That's the thing." She lifted up her shirt and brought it to her teeth, before clapping her hands together to gather chakra; she had been practicing a little of controlling it on her way back to Konoha. "The most recent seal, the one on top, is the seal I received from—well, you could say a zombie who used to be a Whirlpool kunoichi."

Hiruzen was quite sure he saw the Hakke Fuuin underneath the two layers of seals, but stashed it away for later. "Zombie?"

"The situation at my time is kind of… crazy right now, so I'll explain what's happening later." Naruto broke her hands apart, and patted her shirt back in place.

"I understand." He actually didn't. "And you said that the user of that fuuin is from Uzushiogakure?"

"Yes, and this seal is what caused me to become four to five years old, but I've told Minato that I'm four and a half."

"When is your birthday, Naruto?"

"Hm? October the tenth."

"That's six months away from now, so what you chose is a good age." _Which would make her only eight days older than Asuma... _"Do you know how the seal works?"

"Ah, sort of. I've found out that it's a type that exchanges chakra, only altered so that it would make the user's chakra multiple times stronger and deadlier."

"You're smart to have figured that out on your own. How old were you originally?"

Naruto gave an awkward laugh, "Yeah, I'm good with seals…" _He doesn't have to know that Kyuubi figured it out… _"I was sixteen," _and quite developed, _she thought in regretful dismay.

"I see… twelve years… How about your mind? You shouldn't be able to think like your proper age if you're inside a four year old's body."

"That's right, and most likely because of that I have headaches." Now that she thought about it, she had felt very lightheaded a while ago. _Must be because—_"I've lost a lot of blood which could have been caused by my brain adjusting in my skull… But I'm no expert medical and scientific logic, so I'll need to find out more about the technique before I can jump into conclusions."

"You're theory seems to be the answer, but you're right about the last part." Pinching the bridge of his nose, he sighed. "Well, this is taking away the doubt I had. I'll also run a blood test to check if everything is true, though. I can't let my guard down, after all."

"Yup, I understand."

"So let's have it now."

Naruto faltered, "Wha—Now?"

"Yes, now." The village leader brushed his beard with his fingers. "Your condition seems fatal if we don't do anything about it soon, but I'll have to see if you really are Minato and Kushina's daughter. I'll need to confirm everything before taking action."

She nodded; most DNA paternity tests' results take over a week. The Sarutobi's chakra spiked before an Anbu appeared in the office and bent down, waiting for his orders.

"Bring our best doctor here at once."

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Like how he came, the masked shinobi quietly flickered away.

"Naruto," Hiruzen successfully caught her undivided attention, "how have you gone back in this time? Thirty years from the future at most, was it?"

She nodded once. "It could be more, but I doubt it from how old Dad looked to be." Naruto chewed her lip, "Well, how I got here was through an accident on my part…"

"Accident?"

"I panicked when the… zombie attacked, and tried to use the Hiraishin to escape." She scratched her cheek sheepishly, "I couldn't use it as well as Dad, and so I had to make two seals for the jutsu to work— one on the kunai and the other in my stomach."

The man refrained from slapping a palm to his face, and calmly drew back into his chair. "Then the Hiraishin and the Uzu kunoichi's seal combined when used at the same time?"

"… Pretty much." Naruto shuffled her feet and let her fingers fidget with her clothes at Hiruzen's sigh. "Are you mad…?"

"No, no, Naruto." He brought his hand to his forehead before letting it slowly sink down to cover the bottom half of his face, and his voice was slightly muffled. "Just… calmly handling disbelief."

"… You're doing a good job."

Removing the hand, he chuckled, shaking his head. "Well, I'm pretty convinced that what everything you've told me is the truth, so I'll tell Minato and Kushina that you'll be staying with them for the time being."

"Eh…" Naruto blinked. "But… um…"

Now, the Hokage seemed confused. "You don't want to?"

She furiously shook her head, waving her arms around before they settled into a cross. "No, I do!" She brought them down to her sides, eyes downcast. "But… I'll be a bother, won't I? I mean… In their eyes, I'll be intruding their home since they don't know that I'm their daughter… And I can't tell them that. It would only make things more complicated for them."

The man smiled. _She was surely their child… putting others before herself._ "Well then, I'll make this their mission as Konoha shinobi. It would reflect badly on the Hokage if I left a young girl by herself, no matter how safe this village is."

Naruto nodded, and he continued, the smile off of his face as he took on the face of a real Hokage. "Naruto, keep everything we've discussed as well as what you know of the future classified."

Two knocks sounded the moment Naruto nodded, and the Kage called, "Enter!"

"I'm truly sorry to keep you waiting, Hokage-sama." The doctor came in, bowing sincerely.

"No worries, Isao. More importantly, have a DNA paternity test taken for Naruto here, Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato." The Hokage stood, ignoring Isao's shocked expression. "Make sure that this and the results are kept _only_ between us three."

Regaining his composure, the he bowed again. "Hai, Hokage-sama." He turned to the girl, "Please follow me, Naruto-san."

Said girl nodded, stuffing her dislike of needles deep in her brain. Complaining wasn't going to help anyone.

She sighed.

* * *

Hiruzen stifled a yawn as he gazed down at his painstakingly large pile of paperwork, mankind's worst enemy. He opened one of the desk's drawers and took out the academy enrollment sheet. _She'd definitely be a strong ally for the time being, what with her large chakra reserves_. He grumbled; the DNA paternity test was pretty much a waste of time... _but it was better to be safe than sorry, _he reminded himself.

Finished with filling the paper out, he let his strained hand relax by shaking it.

_One major problem is her chakra control, though. _He can tell just by sensing it that her chakra pools was like a sea during a storm. _Sakumo would surely be able to help her… _He chuckled, _that man's good with kids._

After calling the man over, he had a smile on his face, happy with the turn of events. But, at the reminder of the word "zombie", it soon dissolved._ What did that girl mean? _The Sarutobi sighed; _I should have asked her to tell me about what happened._

Even if it did change the future, it would have been for the better, wouldn't it?

Naruto glanced back down at the quickly written address and back up at the door in front of her nervously. _Was this really the place? _The moment that thought crossed her head, the blade of a knife pierced and lodged on the wood. The steel point was a mere centimeter away from the bridge of her nose as she stared at it, cross-eyed, in absolute terror. She almost let out a shriek, but it somehow caught in her throat, so only a strangled sound escaped her lips.

The door swung open to reveal a beautiful, red-haired woman in a white dress along with a green vest. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry about that." She plucked the knife out, before gazing down at the frozen girl. Her face slowly evolved from a sheepish smile to a wide, joyful and pleased grin. "Ah! You must be—"

"Oi, Kushina…" Minato's voice came from inside the apartment, before taking the knife from her hands. "Ah, hello again, Naruto!"

Said blonde gulped, her big blue eyes warily locked on the slit made in the middle of the door. She turned back to the couple, before smiling back. "Good afternoon, Kushina-san, Minato-san!"

The fiery redhead ruffled her bangs playfully, "Oh, quit it with the honorifics. We'll be under the same roof, so what is the need in that, eh? You can just call us nee-chan and nii-chan, or maybe even kaa-chan and tou-chan"

Naruto felt her eyes sting, before they crinkled against her smile. Giggling, she said, "Then I won't hold back, Kaa-chan, Tou-chan!" before she entered the welcoming home with them. Kushina and Minato watched the girl take everything in with smiles on their faces.

It was the start of a close, happy family.

* * *

"Naruto! What about your breakfast?" Kushina shouted from the kitchen as Naruto struggled to put on her sandals at the genkan.

"No thank you! I'm going to be super late for my first meeting!"

It had been two days since she entered the household, and, like she had exclaimed, she was running late for her very first meeting with the man who was supposed to train her. "Then at least eat toast on the way! You won't be able to do a very good job if you don't eat breakfast!" Kushina said as she gave it to her and opened the door. "Be careful, alright?"

"Hai, Kaa-chan!" The blonde waved goodbye before holding her toast with her teeth, and closed the door behind her.

Minato came up behind his fondly sighing girlfriend with a smile, and slipped his arms around her waist. "You really turned into her mother, huh? And it's only been two days..."

"You've turned into her father, as well, Minato. Besides, it wasn't hard at all," She replied, kissing his cheek. "She's so sweet, and looks like you."

"And you." Then he added teasingly, "Also acts like you, too, only a little more… calm."

Kushina huffed, hiding her amusement. "I can't disagree with you there, though." A pause stretched between them, both swimming in their own thoughts.

"Do you think…?"

"I've thought about it vaguely the moment I saw her." She chewed her bottom lip, a blush filling her cheeks, "But… it's not possible—I mean we never…"

He settled a hand on top of her head fondly. "Well, we can't really do anything about it, so let's let it go for now. Hokage-sama doesn't seem like he'll explain any time soon." Minato finally stepped away from her, smiling once again, "Let's get some breakfast, hm?"

* * *

Naruto sighed. Hopefully she won't get the headaches today. They were less frequent now, but whenever they attacked it would full blow and longer. Unlike before, when it was only about a minute, now it would last ten or more.

Since she had nothing to do over the last two and a half days (Minato and Kushina were quite constantly on missions) all she did was practice controlling her chakra, only stopping for meals and talking with her parents. She had secretly mastered the kage bunshin after eating her dinner and helping Kushina wash the dishes, which took her approximately three hours—and that was only to make one perfectly solid clone. Minato had got mad at her out of worry for sure, but was proud of her progress nonetheless. The rest of her time until leaving the house was spent on training, though this morning she practiced without a clone.

So she was pretty sure that she had improved was a heap of a lot better than before. Not anywhere_ close_ to what she had when she was sixteen, but it was good enough to be decent for her age.

Briefly, she wondered who her trainer might be. But even if she did, she probably won't know the guy anyway. She had finished her toast, and slowed down when she noticed that she was going to reach the meeting place on time from the public clock.

So, when she saw a man with long hair and coal eyes, beside him a small—probably a little taller than her, though— masked boy, both with _silver _hair, she did a double take.

Hatake Kakashi, her previous teacher and… Hatake _Sakumo?_

Wait, _he's still alive?_

That can only mean one thing. Inside, she was bouncing off walls with pure, unadulterated glee—she was _so _going to give Kakashi the happiness he deserves—

"_This _is the girl I have to train with?" He muttered irritably, before turning to his father, "She looks so weak."

His words rang loud and hard in her ears, the appalled look on her face dwindling to a serious, calm look, but her eyes were ice cold. "What was that?"

"I said—" Sakumo slapped the back of the boy's head with a pleasant smile on his face.

"Sorry about that, Naruto. He's not a morning person."

Naruto reluctantly let go; she wouldn't have been able to win against Kakashi, anyways, with her lousy taijutsu skills and very limited arsenal of jutsus. "Good morning, my name is Naruto." She dipped her head down, obviously facing the father.

"I'm Hatake Sakumo, and this runt here is Hatake Kakashi. Pleased to meet you, Naruto." Sakumo pushed his son's head down.

Naruto's face brightened with a smile, "Nice to meet you too, Sakumo-sensei," it turned forced when she turned to the younger Hatake, "Kakashi-san."

He merely huffed.

Sakumo sighed at his son, before looking at the blonde. "I've been told to focus on your chakra control, so may you tell me what drills you have tried?"  
She shuffled on her feet at Kakashi's obvious scrutinizing glare and tried to match it with her own. "I've used Kage Bunshin—"

"Shadow Clone?" Both Hatakes said in surprise.

"Ah… I can't do a regular clone because I have lousy chakra control, which is caused by my larger than the average reserves. I also have another reason for it, but it's classified." The three knew she wasn't boasting, Kakashi because of her slight shyness of saying it. "I use the clones to practice holding a leaf to my head while a fan's on—I can't train outside—and tried wall climbing, but that one I only just started."

Kakashi huffed. He'd started walking up trees the moment he turned four. Pouting under his mask, he kicked the soil. Why did he have to train with some random girl in _blonde _pigtails? Why didn't his father just continue training him only?

By the time he had just turned four, he could read, write, do complicated math equations, and partly understand what the adults said. He understood orders fairly well. He did whatever his teachers and (most importantly, of course) father told him to, and tried to do whatever he could to please his father. He had done his best when his mother left him, the best he could do so that his mother wouldn't worry up in heaven.

_It's not fair. _He'll show his father that he can do a whole lot better than that blonde. _He's _my _dad, so he should train me. _Not some outsider, who didn't try as hard as he did.

After they stretched, Sakumo told them to try climbing trees. Kakashi had no problem, and kept going at it to improve his reserves. Naruto however, took more time to adjust. By nearly an hour, she had mastered it, while Kakashi was lagging behind, tired.

Kakashi glared at the determined blonde. She said that she had large chakra levels, but just how much? Not only that, but her stamina was just as impressive.

Kakashi pounded his feet harder into the bark, charged by his frustration.

Naruto turned, surprised at the sudden harsh sounds coming from her reluctant partner. He was definitely smirking under his mask at her. Her brows slanted downwards along with the corners of her lips as she came to a stop, before jumping and twirling down on the ground gracefully. A triumphant smirk of her own settled on her face as Kakashi's feet reached the grass.

A silent challenge sparked between them, and Sakumo couldn't help but sigh at their antics.

* * *

How was that? Reviews of what you thought (no flames, swearing, or offensive words, please) and stuff I could improve would be awesome!

I'm kind of worried about my grammar... and the different tenses―do I shift them a lot/too much? I'm not really sure about past tense, present tense, etc.

By the way, for the people who don't know what a genkan is, it's a japanese entrance hall.

Nee-chan = kind of a less strict way of saying big sister rather than Nee-san, which is quite polite/grown up.

Nii-chan = The older brother version of the meaning for "Nee-chan."

Tou-chan = Dad.

Kaa-chan = Mom.

I was trying to make Kakashi a four year old who had been spending most of his life training with his parents and stuff. So he has very little to no experience in talking with others his age. I can't really sneak into a jealous four year old's mind, so I don't know how well (or bad) I did with that...

Ahh, so worried T.T

By the way, I was gonna do chakra paternity tests rather than DNA, but that would mean for all parties to be present for that to happen, so I decided against it.

And about the romance... it would be _eventual. _That means that there would be none of that mushy stuff for a long while. I'm planning on doing small time skips and tiny one-shot fillers of the future, though.


	3. Chapter Two

Another hour into their training and the two children were huffing harshly against their trees, though Naruto was doing better. She smiled to herself; her chakra control had improved greatly from Sakumo's guidance and her hate of losing to the man's son. Using her shirt, Naruto wiped her face and turned to Kakashi, who noticed.

He glared. "What?"

"Nothing," she grinned, "just grateful for you being here."

The boy raised a brow at her, before scoffing. "You're weird."

"I'm just honest."

"That's what makes you weird."

"Hm… really?"

_Is she an idiot? _He grumbled under his breath, knowing she couldn't hear. "What's wrong with you?"

The smile on her face faltered, before she walked over to him. Her face emitted dark waves with an obvious twitch on the left corner of her lips, and Kakashi knew that her (short) patience was gone. She crouched and jabbed a finger to his chest, "What's wrong with _you?_"

He swatted her hand away like a fly, a scowl evident even without his mask on. Sakumo watched the two of them, shaking his head, "You two…"

Kakashi's glare on Naruto intensified then. If his father didn't have to take care of this… _girl's _training, this wouldn't have happened. "You're so annoying."

"And you're such a prick."

Sakumo clapped once loudly, putting a stop to their verbal fight before it evolved to something worse. "Since you've completed this drill, I guess we should move onto the next one."

He took them away and Naruto grinned, nostalgia bubbling inside her. They were going to the baths!

She froze. _Wait…_

Baths?

Baths equal tons of boiling hot water. _Oh shoot._

Ebisu's strict training session ghosted into her mind.

"Father, why are we here?" Kakashi snapped her back to reality, and she took pity on the boy's obliviousness to the danger they were about to face.

Naruto puffed her cheeks, zoning out of Sakumo's instructions on how to walk on water. Luckily she hadn't used many clones, so she would have plenty of chakra to use. When Sakumo allowed them to start on the secluded bath, Naruto tied up her shirt just below her (_unfortunately flat_, she thought miserably) chest, snapped off her weapon holster and pouch, and took off her sandals.

"Hm?" She noticed that Kakashi wasn't doing the same. "You'll catch a cold, you know."  
He ignored her, and promptly fell into the scalding hot water.

Naruto frowned. _It would be easier if I got rid of some chakra first… _She had planned on saving it but that would be wasted on failing, and if she used her clones they would remember how much chakra she should put in.

She shifted her hands into her favorite seal, and added more chakra than necessary. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"  
Six clones popped into existence and all the Narutos tentatively dipped their foot in the water. They applied chakra, testing what was too much or too little, and after maintaining a constant flow, they tried the other foot.

For a minute, it worked, before one clone lost concentration and fell in the water.

One by one they were distracted by the others and couldn't maintain a perfect rhythm of chakra to their feet. Kakashi watched with twitching eyes at their stupidity.

Sakumo ruffled the blonde's bangs proudly, "That was really fast, Naruto! I didn't expect you to almost get it on the first try."

"Oh, it was pure luck…" _since I already knew what it should feel like and didn't rush in this time... _She laughed awkwardly. A shudder ran up her spine; _is it just me or is there… _she gulped, _killer intent!_

She robotically peered back, and shot back to the waters. She can bet with her _life _that she saw evil chuckling ghosts swarming around the boy.

"Gyah!" She quickly applied chakra to her hands to stop herself from falling. They sank down before she bobbed back up.

"That was great, Naruto." Sakumo announced, thoroughly impressed. "I'm surprised you caught on so fast. Well, you two, I'll be going to get some towels and clothes, so make sure you keep training."

"Okay!" Naruto said, while Kakashi grunted. When the man was clearly out of earshot, she snapped at him. "For the love of_ God,_ what's your _problem?_"

He glared hard, "_You're _my problem." Having said that, he promptly stomped off into the hot bath.  
Naruto stared after him, frozen in her spot. "…Ouch." _Her_ sensei wouldn't say such cruel things, she reminded herself, but her face still twisted in pain as she gazed downcast. Kakashi and Kakashi-_sensei _are different. She shook her head, pasted a smile on her face and went to practice her drills as well.

Sakumo sighed from behind the wall he hid when he finally looked away from the two children, shaking his head as well. Keeping his hands in his pockets, he flickered and disappeared.

* * *

"Young Naruto is extraordinary, Hokage-sama." Sakumo said—_beamed, _"When you told me that she might be behind, I had thought that you meant she didn't understand chakra control at all."

"Ah, no, I never meant that." Hiruzen laughed as he watched the lights of stalls flicking on from his wide windows, "She just seemed to have some problems with it."

"Hm… Well, she wrapped it up pretty quickly," the silver haired man pondered, leaning back on the wall, "made me quite surprised, actually."

"That girl… she never fails to surprise anyone, I can tell."

Sakumo hummed again, "She interests me. Not only because of her skills, too."

"Oh?"

"She looks so much like Minato and Kushina-san. I wanted to know if…"

"She does look alike to that couple, but she's not their daughter." _Yet. _"I doubt only that's the other reason. Is it because of your son, Kakashi?

"Yes." He said, smiling, their conversation easily turned. "It's the first time I've seen him express so much emotion ever since..."

"Ah…" Hiruzen softly spoke. "She was young and beautiful. I almost thought of her as a daughter."

"I'm sure she's watching over us as well as her best friends."

"Yes, they were quite the trio despite the difference in their age. Her, Kushina, and Mikoto, that is."  
Sakumo smiled, before glancing at the clock. "I just remembered—I promised Kakashi that I'd practice mind games with him."

"Alright," The Hokage said, before stopping the younger man with one question, "Sakumo, what do you think of Naruto?"

The man blinked as he turned his head back, before a stronger smile appeared on his lips, "In some aspects, she's just like her."

"I see."

* * *

Minato looked up from his scroll at the ring of the doorbell, "Oh, she's back."

Kushina put down her ladle and followed him to open the door, "Welcome home, Naruto!"

Naruto blinked, before she matched their grins, "Tadaima!"

"I was just finishing up dinner, so—oh, did you take a shower outside?" The woman pointed out her damp hair that wasn't in their usual pigtails while Minato went back to prepare the table.

"Ah yeah, my sensei's Hatake Sakumo, and he trained me and his son—"

"His son and I, Naruto."

"Yup, his son and I with chakra control. One of the drills was water surface walking, and we went to the baths for that."

Kushina smiled, "Was it fun?"  
"Yup! Really, _really _fun, though Kakashi was annoying me."

"Annoying you? That nice kid?" The she bit her cheek to keep from laughing at the young girl's adorableness. "Well, let's talk it over dinner, shall we?"  
They had Naruto's favorite; miso ramen, with _lots _of pork. "You're awesome, Kaa-chan!"

"I know I am." Kushina grinned at the compliment and what she had been called. "I'm the best ramen maker in this town."

"That's only because you don't even know half the village's cooking, and because there hasn't been a ramen shop for years." Minato said pointedly as he split his chopsticks.

"Hey! Naruto, you agree with me, don't you?"

"… yeah?"

Kushina huffed, "Your tone sure boosts my confidence. I swear, all blonds have something against me."

Naruto stuffed herself with the noodles, trying to survive from choking as she laughed at her parents' playful banter. Gulping the food down, she grinned, "Kaa-chan, I doubt she meant anything behind that."

"Oh really? So it's perfectly normal for her to throw a flower pot at me?" The redhead scoffed. "She hates me, and wanted me to know that with her sickly 'sweet' smile! She's suffocating me with all that eye poison."

"Now, now, Kushina…" Minato tried, failing pitifully. He then turned to the girl sitting next to her, in an attempt to change the topic. "Naruto, I've noticed this before, but your vocabulary's pretty impressive." Kushina put away her ill temper and clasped her hands together.

"I agree!" She rather forcefully slammed the blonde to her chest, on the verge of vigorous crying. "Oh, Naruto, I'm so proud of you!"  
"You weren't the one who taught her… that's for sure."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean, eh? Hm?"  
Naruto took a moment to respond, "Eh, ah… I was taught by the teacher I told you about, Tou-chan. He's, um, really good at pretty much everything…" She smiled, but couldn't let go of the bad taste left in her mouth—and it definitely wasn't because of Kushina's brilliant cooking.

"Oh, I heard about him from Minato. He seems pretty awesome, eh? Snagged yourself a great teach!" Kushina elbowed her, before taking a slice of pork into her mouth.

"He _is _good. Wonder what village he was from…"

Naruto feigned confusion, "He never really did tell me anything about him, but he was really nice and caring." All of her mentors were, and Kakashi-sensei never really did reveal much about himself for the first few years of them knowing each other.

"Hm…"

Kushina grinned, "He's good with manners too, eh?" She pointedly looked at the proper way Naruto ate; elbows off the table, waiting until she had nothing in her mouth before she talked. "Even knows the proper way to eat ramen, I see. Chow and slurp!"

Minato brought a hand over his eyes and Naruto grinned, "Yup, my mentor was picky with how he ate." _She. _Sakura had all but beaten the manners into her brain. The only thing she failed to knock out of her was her style of eating _the best food in the world._

"So?" Kushina stared, a smile on her face that seemed, from Naruto's perspective, knowing and mischievous. "What's this I hear about your new partner? Hatake Kakashi, was it?"

The girl puffed her cheeks, and looked the other way as she said in annoyance, "Oh, yeah. He's so _mean._" Her mouth curved down further in distaste. "He thinks I'm stupid and 'brainless' so he pushes me into sixty degrees water!"

Minato raised a brow disapprovingly, "What he did isn't quite sensible."

Kushina's grin kept its sly curl. "I think it's quite cute; you know what they say about young boys and their behaviors towards the girls…" Naruto sweat-dropped, and Minato rolled his eyes.

"'Boys tease the girls they like'? Isn't that a bit too early for him? I mean, he's four years old, the same age as Naruto," he reasoned. _Ah, _she inwardly sighed exasperatedly, _Kiba had once said something about that when he noticed Sasuke's attitude with me… _She grumbled. _Though I'm pretty sure it was because the bastard hated me to guts that time. _"If anything, it seems to me that he just dislikes her with a very… strong passion." _Nicely put, Dad; a much better way of saying that he, like his future favorite student, hates me. _

"Isn't _that_ a bit too fast? He barely even knows her except for her talents and maybe her weak points. Nothing about personality or lifestyle."

"That's enough reason to, Kushina." Minato withheld a smile, "Didn't you hate me the first day you got into the academy? Seeing me as someone who's—what was it? Flaky and weak?"

The woman huffed, realizing the argument was settled—with her boyfriend being the winner again. Naruto grinned and asked, although she already knew the answer, "Do you guys always have small quarrels like this?"

"Quarrels?" Kushina frowned in thought, "I don't think I knew the word until I was at least ten years old…"

"You never really cared much about the textbooks and writing much unless it had something to do with seals, after all." Minato laughed, "Actually, you never really cared for your studies until you turned genin."

"That's 'cause Konoha's a little late in teaching stuff! I mean, the academy teaches basic ninjutsu, writing skills that we don't need to even memorize _half _of, math, textbook styled taijutsu—which _sucks—only._" She ranted heatedly, caught up in her frustration. "Kids need more action!"

Naruto firmly clamped her mouth shut, but the shy thoughts didn't stop popping up in her brain. _I couldn't even get any of the stuff they taught us until I failed on my first exam… _"Anyways, how was Sakumo-san?" Minato asked, preventing the fiery woman from continuing her tirade, "I'm pretty sure he's a good sensei—not only is he talented in all arts, he's exceptionally good in teaching."

"Yup!" The girl squeaked, more than glad that the subject shifted. "He points out the stuff I'm weak at, and helps me with it. Sometimes though, he lets me solve it on my own—that way I'll be able to remember better of what's bad or good to do and stuff." Now that she thought about it, the man seems similar to Jiraiya in terms of teaching—nothing related to his 'research', of course. But he occasionally _did _shove her into a bar or two a few times.

Minato must have thought along the same lines, as he mumbled, "Kind of reminds me of a serious Jiraiya-sensei." Naruto blinked, remembering what her father had said before.

"Hey, hey, Tou-chan," She started slowly, curiosity on her features. "Do you know him personally?"

"Sakumo-san? Ah, yeah. He's my sempai, and taught me quite a lot of tips during missions."

Kushina's smile, Naruto noticed, was turning strained the more they talked about the man. "Kaa-chan?" She turned to her hesitantly with blue eyes of worry.

"Hm?"

"Are you okay?"

"Oh, yes, yes, Naruto. What makes you ask?" The smile turned firmer now as the woman ruffled her hair affectionately. "Well, we have some bowls to wash, so will you help me?"

The whiskered blonde kept her gaze on her mother for a moment longer, before letting go. Kushina was just as, if not more, stubborn as she was. "Hai." She saluted, and stood to collect the red ramen bowls with her as Minato went to study some scrolls. From her messy bangs, Naruto still watched the red-haired woman walk to the kitchen, worry still evident.

* * *

Naruto coughed out the dust and tears prickled her eyes as she adjusted her knees to the dirty floor. "Really, Hokage-sama, why of all places did you keep the Uzumaki clan's scrolls _here?" _Here, as in the hidden, underground chamber. The Hokage fully trusted her, now that the paternity test was over. "It doesn't look like it has been cleaned for over a decade."

"Well, I can't allow anyone other than myself or Kushina to enter. We can't come here so often since someone might see us, and she doesn't really like to come down here."

"Oh. Why?"

"I'm thinking it is because it's… hard for her."

Naruto didn't speak—she _couldn't. _What can she say? Her mother, unlike her, knew of her village and clan, which were both destroyed by enemies because of their power. She continued carefully searching through the old scrolls and paper seals, but focused on the former. While seeing the actual seal can allow you to find out new techniques to a fuuinjutsu, it was quicker to find the scroll holding the secrets and effects to it.

This was taking forever.

"Hokage-sama?"

"Hm?"

She kept her eyes on the dust layered papers in front of her, "I think it's best to tell you what happened in my future now." _Not only is this room soundproof, we're several meters underground. _Hearing his nod from the rustle of his scarf, she began from the moment she was born, but kept everything brief, only mentioning the important bits and pieces. However, she noticed that almost everything that came out of her mouth revolved around Sasuke, and knew that the elder realized as well.

"I went with Killer B, and trained to control the fox. I managed to mold Kyuubi's chakra, but while I use it, he'll take mine as well. So if I use too much of his chakra, I'll die easily. Anyways, after that, I found out about the war and went to the battlefield." She blew away a thick layer of dust and brought her jacket to her mouth and nose, muffling her voice. "I went to help the medic squad, but there I met the Whirlpool kunoichi. She tried to make me shrink, but at the same time I used the Hiraishin—I panicked. So the two fuuinjutsus somehow mixed and wound me up here."

"I see… no wonder Orochimaru's been so different lately. I've had my suspicions, but to think that he would go that far…" Naruto was glad she didn't look at the Hokage; she could hear enough despair in his voice. "Well, that's something I'll have to take care of. I can't let any other innocent people be used as guinea pigs for my—my student."

"I think it would be best to call E—Jiraiya-sensei as well—"

"No, Naruto. He's very much like you. It would be hard for him to cope, which would make it hard for me to stop Orochimaru. It's very similar—your bonds with Sasuke and Jiraiya's with Orochimaru are very alike."

She tried to lighten the atmosphere; the room was already suffocating enough as it is. "Well, Jiraiya-sensei better be glad that I think of Sasuke as a brother."

"You're… right about that." The mental image of Jiraiya and Orochimaru being _together_ was probably too much for the man to bear. He coughed into his hand, and Naruto noticed the slight urgency of how he tried to change the topic. "Well, have you found something?"

"Yeah, while we were talking about Hokage-sama's two male students' questionable relationship, I thought this might be it." She lifted a scroll, having already dusted it off. Black whirlpools decorating the sea of faded green. _Green… _a light frown marred her face. _If I remember correctly, Ino had once said that green flowers symbolize youth. _Her lips curled down further, _and black usually is a bad color, isn't it?_

She forced herself to calm down, and unraveled the old scroll—_tried _to.

She noticed the small, broken circle at both corners of the opening, along with the kanji for _blood. _"To keep it this guarded…" She caught the Hokage's attention, and let him peer over her shoulder as she bit her thumb.

Blood seeped out, and a small drop landed on one of the miniature seals.

The circle's missing parts appeared to form an Uzumaki swirl, which was pulled into the crimson liquid. Experimentally, Naruto peeled the edge. _I see… So it requires the blood of an Uzumaki to unlock it. _She frowned, studying the other circle. _But it's looks much simpler than the ones I've seen before…_

Finding that it worked, she smudged her blood on the second and unbounded the scroll with care. _Who knew how old this thing was…_

"As expected of the Uzumaki clan." Hiruzen said, standing back up the same time she did. "However, they wouldn't add such security onto them, thinking that they would have been able to secure these themselves. So why…?"

"I was thinking the same thing, unless this one is…" _very dangerous. _Naruto clenched at the cloth covering her stomach; her cut had quickly healed. She looked at the long, thin paper in her hands, "This is it. The one jutsu we've been looking over half a day for."

It was all there, the instructions on how to make the seal. However, reading further into it, she noticed something terribly wrong.

"W-What…"

Hiruzen's brows furrowed in worry at her horror-stricken face. "Naruto? What's wrong?"

"It's not… How to stop it… isn't on…" Her breathing quickened and she combed a hand through her spiky bangs. "There're only the steps on how to activate—it doesn't say how to stop the user's chakra!"

"Calm down, Naruto," The Sarutobi ran his hand up and down her back gently. "Even if it doesn't have how to do it, you should be able to find out on your own, can't you?"

"Y-You're right…" She hugged herself as she let out a shaky breath. "But that… that would take too much—"

"Time?" The Hokage pressed his hand to his mouth, thinking for a moment. "We have no choice but to get Kushina's help for this. While I do have experience with seals, she has much more knowledge of it, especially the ones of Uzushiogakure's. She might even start being able to enter here on her own will. Are you fine with this?"  
"I thought it best for only you and me to know of my situation."

"I can't do much for you, Naruto, and you can't do this on your own."  
"On my own?" She frowned, "But it would be risky for anyone else to know—"

The Hokage's eyes grew sharper, "You can't shoulder everything on your own. Eventually… you'll turn out to be the very person you hate; Madara."  
"Wha—"

"As I said before, you can't forget that you have possible strong allies around you. You'll become as egotistical as Uchiha Madara. You should find comrades you can trust." The Sandaime smiled pleasantly, "You said that you wanted to become Hokage ever since you were a child?"

Naruto nodded, wide eyed. "I still do."  
"Well, you should remember that I, my predecessors, and in the future, your father, earned the title of Hokage because of those around us. If you have the same ambition as your parents, you will need support from friends to accomplish it."

"I…" She bit her bottom lip, squeezing the green scroll until her knuckles turned white. "I understand, Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen ruffled her bangs, causing her to pout. "Why does everyone do that?"

"You're adorable—I have yet to fully register that you're actually sixteen."

"I'm just glad that Kiba—he's one of my childhood, annoying but fun friend—ain't here to see me. He'll surely say something cruel like 'that kunoichi had returned you back to your real age'" She imitated him by deepening her voice. She laughed, but suddenly it didn't feel so S "He'll totally... say..."

The Hokage figured out right away. "Don't worry, Naruto, you'll find your way back."

"I've been thinking…" She looked down and widened her eyes in an effort to hide her effort to hold back tears. _I'm turning into a crybaby now, aren't I? _"What if… What if I _shouldn't _go back?"

"What do you mean?"

"What if… I should stay here to make everything better? For them?"

"As the village leader, I would say it is best that you do." The aging man sighed. "But, as a fellow human being, I would say that it is up to you. You have done more than enough good for them, and the war can still come out to be in the shinobi world's favor with your help."

"The world would be more peaceful if I stayed, but I might lose the chance to unite the Five Great Nations because of the changes I make. I'll never get to be with my friends the same way I have been before, and even though they're there, my parents wouldn't know that I'm their daughter." She laughed emptily, "Even though I'm going to suffer a lot, there will always be someone worse off than me. I am but one person. My decision can either bring happiness to millions of people or take it away."

"Which will it be?" He asked solemnly, despite knowing her answer.

A plastic smile was already pasted on her face. "I'll stay."

The Hokage sighed heavily, as if he had just added a boulder to his shoulders, and readjusted his scarf. "I see. Thank you, Naruto."

* * *

_They had bumped into each other once in a small town on a winter night. She had been on a solo mission to find a criminal, while he had been sent to assassinate a man who attempted to defy _snake. _The blonde wore a cape that hid her from head to toe as did he, but they could tell._

_The streets were empty. Now was the perfect time for her to capture him and get him back. Back to where he belonged. Even as she had those thoughts, she froze the moment their shoulders touched. _

_After a few steps, made in what felt like an eternity, he stopped as well. _

_Her eyes were wide, as the whisper of his name fumbled out of her lips. _

_He didn't move. _

_Hesitance bubbled up restlessly within her. What if she was wrong? Would she be able to bear the disappointment? Can she keep herself from crumbling along with her hope?_

_His deep yet emotionless voice calling her name grasped her back to where she stood, feet planted against the rough cement._

_She whirled around, not paying heed to her hair brushing over her wide and suddenly moist eyes. Her lips parted, a gasp escaping when she realized he was in front of her, red orbs glowing in the shadows of his coat. _

_His arms reached the edge of her cloth, bringing it down to reveal her long, golden hair, and brightening her sapphire eyes with the moonlight. He, almost fondly, used his thumbs to dry her cheeks as she took off the head of his coat. _

_His skin, as pale as the moon, shone as the crimson seeped into obsidian. Her fingers kept their clutch on the dark cloth. _

_He slowly drew his hands away, letting the tears flow freely down her whiskered cheeks, and gently wrapped her much smaller ones. His jaw clenched and brows knitted together in regret, the first time in three years she saw emotion on his porcelain face._

_A tortured and strained plea escaped his mouth._

"Give up on me."

_He disappeared, and she went back to her home, keeping their meeting to herself. What he said hadn't discouraged her; it did the opposite. His words _encouraged _her, a powerful hope and relieved happiness that would free her of her chains. He can still be reached._

_That encounter was the last touch they felt from each other._

Naruto slowly opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling, briefly touching one of her cheeks. Tears settled at the corner of her eyes, and trickled down to her pillow.

_I wonder, _she brought her hands up to wipe them, _will the chance given by my enemy really free you and the rest of us from pain? _A smile touched her lips. _Even if it costs me my own happiness, the sweet memories we shared, _she sat up and made her bed, _I'll save you and our precious friends. _The door silently closed.

_That dream was just what I needed, Sasuke.  
_

* * *

"Where were you, Naruto? You do know that you attend the academy starting from today, right?" Kushina frowned as she flipped a pancake into said girl's plate. "You should know that it's bad for young children like you to go around the streets at night."

"I wasn't at the streets, and I only went out a few hours ago—I was practicing taijutsu while using chakra to stay on the walls of this apartment." The blonde grinned, "I had a dream so I couldn't go back to sleep."

The woman ruffled her hair, "A nightmare?"

"Nope, a _good _dream!"

"Oh, well," Kushina blinked and smiled, "I see. What was it about?"

"My best friend."

"Hmm… Alright, since you're in such a great mood, why don't you wake Dad up?"

Naruto beamed, "Hai, Kaa-chan!"

The woman gave a fond sigh, and took off her apron with a smile. _I wonder how she'll react…_ Her eyes drifted to the documents on the counter, before snapping back to the blond duo, one rubbing his eyes sleepily as the other helped him reach to the table.

Perhaps it was more accurate to say that the _girl _was dragging the _man. _

Kushina deadpanned, "You're pathetic," to him, crouching down to make sure he heard her. She scowled, setting her palms on her hips, "Now be a man and help me get that plate down! We have something to discuss, remember?"

"Hmm…?" Minato sighed, "Ah… yeah." As if he had a heavy boulder on his back, he pulled himself up with Naruto's petite shoulder, ignoring the rather intense glare directed on him.

"Honestly… what's gotten you so weak in the morning?"

"Mission." Minato gave an apologetic smile to the blonde, before taking out the plate from the high shelf. "Mm, those pancakes smell really good."

"Of course, since I made them!" Kushina boasted unabashedly, and the three settled in their seats to eat their breakfast. The meal time consisted of the usual, trivial yet fun talk, but Naruto noticed something different. The best way she could explain the difference was that it was _warmer. More… _she sought for a better word while furrowing her brows, _meaningful._

"Naruto," Minato began with a bright smile, different compared to his previous, lazy and tired expression_. _

"Yes?"

"We—Kushina and I have been wanting to show you something." Naruto then noticed the folder in her mother's hand. Kushina smiled from ear to ear as she passed it to her.

Naruto clenched the folder, finally realizing what the documents were after taking a look at the sheets. "This is…"

"Adoption form." Kushina ended for her, withholding her excitement as she watched her reaction. "So how about it? We can still take it back if this is too much for you, Naruto."

Minato crouched to be at eye level with the girl, tenderly holding her arms. "We've thought about this carefully for a while, and we're listed as your guardians in the Academy registration as well. It has only been two weeks, but we felt that this was… right." He petted Naruto's head, looking up at Kushina who had brought her arms on his shoulders. "I'm sorry it's so soon, and that I can't explain how Kushina and I feel about you better, I want you to understand that you are like a daughter to us now."

_This isn't a dream, right? _She tightened her grip on the bunched papers, tears overflowing down her cheeks as she tried to keep herself from sobbing in joy. Naruto glomped her father, while knowing that her words of gratitude were incoherent but continuing to let them run out of her mouth anyway.

Kushina smiled, before clapping her hands together, "Alright, Naruto! We can't have you going to the Academy with your eyes so red and puffy!" She hurriedly went into the kitchen, "I'll prepare some hot and cold towels, so you better change!"

Minato ended up piggybacking the girl back into her room.

* * *

Naruto waved goodbye to her parents, feeling nervous all of a sudden. The Hokage had warned her that the classes would be more uptight than the ones from her childhood days, seeing as it was the harsh times of war—the biggest one, in fact.

She shook her head—she was fine enough, wasn't she? Her chakra control was just barely chunin level thanks to her hard work on long hours. She had practiced her taijutsu earlier in the morning, so she shouldn't have a problem with the difference in her height or her limbs.

Naruto was fully prepared—

"Have you studied?" She snapped behind her to see young (and small—she was _sure _she was a little taller) Kakashi in his usual dark navy blue, mask-attached no-sleeves and pants. _Wait…_

"Study?"

"You haven't heard?" Naruto knew he was smirking; his smug tone said it all.

"Heard _what?"_

"We have a written test today. Our teacher doesn't care about late comers, either."

Well, she wasn't prepared for that.

* * *

And done.

This chapter was quite boring to write... sorry for the wait, and I hope this didn't disappoint anyone (it probably did though).

I made a lot of mistakes and I think I looked through them all, but if you find anything please write it in a review :)

And thank you so much for the feedback! I can't believe I didn't write that in the previous chapter! GAH, I feel like such an idiot!

Thankyouthankyouthankyou!


	4. Chapter Three

I'm not sure if people know what a _melonpan _is, but it can also be known as Melon buns or Melon bread, are sweet bakery products from Japan (from Wikipedia). They don't taste like melons (though recently companies have started adding the flavor to them) but they look like one (thus the name). When you look at it from the top, it kinda looks like this: (#) I used to eat it almost every week when I was a kid :D

It's gonna be mentioned _once, _and it's not important in this chapter, but I didn't want to confuse anyone so... yeah.

Also,

In Japan, test, homework, etc. answers are marked with circles when right or ticks when wrong.

AND,

Sempai means senior (not as in 'old' senior but as like a person who's older and you look up to―usually in school). The opposite is Kouhai, which is junior.

AND FINALLY (this is rather important out of the vocab list here),

_Kamaboko_ in English is fish cake. _Naruto _(the food) is an artistic version of it. I'm using it 'cause when it sounds kinda funny (I'm not a normal Japanese, sorry).

And I think most of you know, but _Kakashi _means scarecrow. It was used as a joke (I laughed so much―_anything _can make me laugh) when Naruto tried to explain about his teachers to Amaru in the second Naruto Shippuden movie.

**Dialogue (since I haven't posted this up before):**

"Normal talking."

_"Whispering."_

"_Loudly/harshly talking._"

_Thinking._

* * *

"Most of you have probably found out, but we'll be having a new student from now on. She's the same age as Kakashi, and I expect you all to treat her well."

The class simply chorused in unison, "Hai, Sensei!" before promptly going back into their own excited conversation with their friends. New students were rather rare seeing as it is the time of war―no parent want their child to run into the battlefield and return dead with their dog tags. Not only that, but foreigners of all ages weren't really welcomed, and would be closely watched. _'Was it a girl or a boy?'_ and _'the same age as_ Kakashi!_' _was what their thoughts consisted of.

The students immediately stopped chattering at the distinct knock of the door―Kakashi found it unnecessary to hit his knuckles on the wood more than once. They watched on, some even gulping as the tension became thick in the air with anticipation.

They faltered in their seats and bumped their chin to the table when Kakashi entered first. "Sensei, I brought her in." _It's a girl!_ The students sighed in relief; they wouldn't be able to stand _another _Kakashi.

The boys sat back in surprise as the girls squealed in joy at the young, four year old blonde. "I'm Namikaze Naruto!" Naruto grinned brightly, "Nice to meet 'cha!"

The students cheerfully greeted back, before they eagerly raised their hands. The male teacher sighed as the boys shouted their questions impatiently. "One at a time! And Kippei! Raise your hand!"

"Naruto-chan, where're you from?"

"What's it like travelling around while there's danger everywhere?"

The chuunin grumbled at being ignored, before gazing down at the newly youngest girl of the class. "Well, Naruto, you'll be sitting next to Kakashi at the back by the window. Kakashi, be sure to help her with anything she'll need, alright?"

"Hai, Sensei." The boy replied obediently, much to Naruto's surprise. Kakashi didn't bother giving her a glance, "Come on."

They were seated at the very back corner next to the windows, and when Naruto received her schedule, she shot a nasty glare at her training partner. The writing test wasn't until the last period! She had plenty of time to study during the class breaks and lunch. Naruto read what the test was going to cover, and sighed in relief. Half of them were what Sakura had shoved into her brains. The other half she wasn't so sure, but Kakashi-_sensei _had brushed up on it―with a little revision, it wouldn't be a problem.

The first class had brushed up on team formation, seeing as the Graduation Exams were coming up. Then it shifted to survival tactics. Naruto yawned, bored―She knew all of that already. As the teacher's words flew over her head, she stared at the Hokage Monument, or more precisely, the vacant spot for the fourth addition. Sighing, she pretended to take notes onto her book. Eventually, her scribbles turned into doodles.

Her drawings evolved into a story; a snake had stolen a baby hawk from it's nest, and fattened it up for himself to eat. Deeming the now grown bird good enough, he tried to devour it. However, the bird had not only gotten big, but dangerous as well. The hawk had easily turned the tables and ate the predator-turned-prey.

"_What the heck is that?_"

Naruto jumped and turned to see Kakashi staring at her notebook, an eye twitching. Self-conscious, she drew it closer and casually draped an arm over the desk so it would block the book from his sight. "_What is what?_" She whispered back, feigning confusion.

"_Your drawings are pathetic. Why are you drawing sticks and stones anyway?_"

"_They're not―_" She looked down before scowling at him. "_What's wrong with drawing... sticks and stones?_"

He eyed her suspiciously, before focusing back on his notes. "_I thought you were actually writing, but looks like I'm wrong."_

"_Wha―I already know all that! There's no point in using effort to try and remember stuff I already understand!"_

Kakashi seemed taken aback for a moment, before scoffing and ignoring her. The nerve!

She glared, and stomped his foot.

"Ow!"

The class and teacher jumped in surprise, and widened their eyes when they realized that it was _Kakashi _who suddenly jumped up and shouted. "Kakashi? Are you alright?" The chuunin asked worriedly, ignoring the snickering male students.

Naruto smirked in satisfaction at the small blush peeking out of the boy's face as he shook his head. "N-No, I'm fine, Sensei. I'm sorry for the interruption," he said, before sitting back down quietly.  
"Well, if you say so..."  
Kakashi's pencil scratched harshly against the thin lined paper of his notebook. Naruto watched, highly amused, before she blinked when he all but shoved his book to her.

_'I'm going to _kill _you. Toasted, fried, or boiled?'_

A smile was on her lips despite the content of the message, and Naruto wrote back.

_'Is that so? And hey, you have a sense of (dark) humor! I'm surprised' s_he paused, before adding a little cute heart. She knew it served its purpose when Kakashi's knuckles turned white. _Oh, he was so _fun _to annoy. _She slowly passed his book to him, fully expecting him to snatch it.

And snatch, he did. Too bad he didn't notice that the page he pulled on was slightly torn.

The paper ripped loud and clear, and Kakashi caught the class' attention yet again. The book had already been thrown in front of him before they looked back, so it seemed as if Kakashi had simply torn a page from his book in rage. Though that was true, it wasn't all of what had happened. One student from the front, Naruto recognized as Kippei from earilier in the morning, piped up. "Anger issues much, Hatake?"

The class errupted in laughter, but Naruto couldn't find what was so funny, even if she tried to see from another classmate's point of view. She turned to see Kakashi's reaction, but his hair had shielded his eyes, and, though she couldn't see them, she knew he was hurt. She bit her lower lip and clenched her shorts in guilt. Naruto looked around, and noticed that two girls, one definitely a Hyuuga, and a boy wasn't laughing; in fact, they seemed to think the same as her. What was so hilarious that the class had a kick about was something they couldn't get. The teacher's efforts in calming the class weren't helping at all.

Naruto growled, before abruptly standing up. She slammed her tiny fists on the desk, and caught the class' attention immediately, snapping them out of their laughter and giggling. "What's so funny?" She gritted her teeth when Kippei merely raised a brow. "I was the one who stole his book out of boredom. Shouldn't _I _be the one you're laughing at?"

"What the―we're just having fun..." Kippei grumbled, backed up by his friends' agreement. The girls seemed to have finally gotten out of their amusement; Kakashi was only _four, _even _if _he was very talented. Maybe they went too far...?

"I don't see how this is 'fun'." Naruto frowned, "Are you really older than me? Because even in _my _eyes, this isn't the slightest bit funny._"_

Kakashi looked up at her in surprise, but she paid him no heed. Instead, she looked down at the boy she noticed earlier as he spoke. "I agree. It's immature." He said monotonously, and even from first glance she knew he wasn't much of a talker. She blinked in surprise before she sat back down.

"Sensei," Naruto called, and she might as well put her feet on the table. "Can we start class now? I don't think my parents would like it very much if we waste time like this."

"A-Ah, right. Well class, get your textbooks out and turn to page thirty-four―"

The blonde sighed, before resuming back to staring out the window.

* * *

Naruto sighed, eating her melonpan peacefully as she stared out the window. Earlier when their morning break had just begun, she had been bombarded by her new classmates. She even remembered what they said―it had been that loud and squeal-ish.

_"How do you get your hair like that? It's spiky at the front, but like, so silky at the back!"_

_"Did you meet any awesome ninjas outside of Konoha? What are they like?"_

The girls had been cooing about how 'cute and adorable' she is unlike a _certain someone_ and that she should let them 'totally give her a totally lovely makeover', while the boys had been pressuring her with questions of what it's like going around the world and such.

"You're interesting." Naruto looked up from her snack at the boy's voice and lifted her head from her palm. She looked up to see three kids, the ones who didn't laugh. She glanced at the clock; it was break time already. She then set her eyes on the boy again, taking in his appearance. He had choppy, short brown hair and black, lazy eyes, and fairly light skin. He wore a green, hooded short-sleeved jacket and black shorts. Her gaze shifted to the other two girls.

The Hyuuga was from the main branch judging by her clear forehead, and her eyes contained a lavender tint much like Hinata's, Naruto noted thoughtfully, and had jet black, silky hair reaching her mid-back with a fringe. Her pale skin contrasted sharply with her black shirt and navy blue, knee length shorts. The other seemed to be from a civilian family, and had short, almost orange hair. Her amber eyes were bright and friendly, but held some depth to them. She wore a light blue, hooded, unzipped jacket, and under it a soft pink with white shorts.

Smiling, Naruto asked, "How so?"

"Earlier. When you stood up for him," he pointedly stared at Kakashi, who ignored them and slept.

The orange-haired girl grinned, "Hello, Naruto-chan! I'm Mika! He's Genma, and she's Shizuka! Shizuka and I are seven, and Genma's six."

Shizuka nodded once in a greeting. "You have an interesting name, too."

"I'm named after a book's hero." She grinned, "Tale of a Gutsy Ninja." Her eyes stayed on Genma for a moment, before realizing that he's _Shiranui _Genma, the last proctor for the final round of her first Chuunin Exam. His hair style―which looked pretty cool." she had to admit―was completely different from his future one.

"I've never heard of it, but I'll be sure to look around. Who's the author?"

"Jiraiya. The book's a little hard to read though―I had my old teacher simplify the whole book for me."

Mika giggled, draping an arm around the other girl. "Shizuka's a major bookworm, so she'll probably be able to read it" she joked, before pouting. "She even ditched me for books once. I honestly don't see what she sees in those things. Obviously, manga's a whole lot better to read."

Genma rolled his eyes as Shizuka elbowed the now laughing girl. Naruto watched the three, feeling something familiar from them. _It reminds me of..._ she blinked before smiling, feeling utterly nostalgic_...the time with Sasuke and Sakura. _Mika reminded her of herself, Shizuka as Sakura, Genma as Sasuke. _Ah, I'll get homesick if I keep this train of thought going... _"Say, are you three best friends?"

"Hm?" Mika blinked, lowering her arms from their guarded position in front of her face. "Yeah, we're childhood friends. Though, Shizuka and Genma were friends since... forever, I think. Their mothers are best friends."

"Really? Cool." Kakashi got up from his seat, making it screech loudly against the floor. Naruto looked up, "Kakashi?"

"I can't sleep with you guys around." He said without looking back at her, and walked down the room. When the door shut behind him, the students grumbled irritably.

_"What's with him?"_

_"God, can't he get up and leave without making a sound?"_

_"Such a brat."_

Naruto frowned, before forcing a small laugh as she turned back to the three. "I'll go look for him. Sorry about that." She got up and rushed out, leaving her bread behind.

Genma raised a brow, "What's she apologizing about?" Mika pouted.

"I wanted to talk to her more. And what's with that? It's not even her fault but she's saying sorry for Kakashi!"

"Maybe they're close?" Shizuka suggested, before going back to her desk. Mika looked back once more at the door, her face perplexed, and followed the other girl.

Genma hummed, before staring down at Naruto's notebook.

"... Why sticks and stones?"

* * *

Naruto had looked all over the building for him, until she saw the boy outside from the window, casually sitting against a tree and eating an apple. He was facing downwards though, reading a book so she couldn't see the lower half of his face. Scowling, she got out and ran to him, her lips curling further downwards when he quickly put up his mask. Naruto plopped down next to him, a little too close for his comfort seeing as he was trying to push her off.

"Go away."

"You know, the word 'anti-social' should have a limit. Especially for four year olds like us." She commented, before turning to face him. "And it's much too early to form a wrinkle over here," She jabbed the crease between his frowning brows.

He turned his head away from her, clearly irritated. "You're annoying."

"And you're pessimistic."

Kakashi blinked, before stubbornly scowling. "Whatever."

"I meant that you're really negative."

"I knew that," he said, a little too quickly. Naruto laughed before ruffling his hair playfully. He shook his head and tried to slap her hand away, "I'm older than you, you know."

Naruto huffed, "Yeah, by a month and five days, right? My birthday's on the tenth of October, by the way." He raised a brow at her, and she shrugged, "Someone told me that yours is on the fifteenth of September, and I remember birthdays pretty well." Her lips curled into a smirk, eyes challenging him at her last statement, and Kakashi took the bait.

"You said it was the tenth of October, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did."

He got up, and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Easy."

"Of course, since it's really just two tens." _Tenten. _She remembered joking about that with the weapon mistress before―not mentioning the other importance of that date, of course. Standing up, she sighed, "Anyways, we have training after school, don't we?"

He glanced at her in annoyance, before walking away. "Yeah, taijutsu."

Naruto followed, maintaining a short distance between them. Observing the boy quietly, she folded her arms behind her head, a casual habit of hers whenever she walked, carefree. All this boy ever thinks about is training and his father. She hadn't seen him socialize or even _talk _with the other children. Finally, the blonde asked, "Say, Kakashi, why are you being so cold?" He ignored her, so she tried again. "Why is your attitude so different towards the adults and kids like us? Like the time when our class teacher said I had to sit with you? You hate me, don't you?"

He still didn't respond, so she finally reached for his shirt and tugged. Why was he doing this? Isn't he, a four year old, sad? She had cried and cried and _cried _when she was his age. He stopped, but didn't look back as she inquired further, "Why do you act like this when you know it makes you disliked so much? When you know that just by forcing a smile and being all polite would stop the... the loneliness?" Naruto bit her lip to stop herself from going too deep into the many emotions inside her. She took a shuddering breath, before finally saying, "I don't get it at all."

"I never asked you to. Stop sticking your nose in other people's business and mind your own. It's bad enough _my _dad has to train_ you _too when he's busy with missions." He pulled himself away from her shaking hand effortlessly, "I don't get you. If you don't like my the way I am, just stop acting so familiar with me. Besides, what would _you_ understand about me?"

"What―"

"And,_ I_ don't get what you're going on and on about. Lonely? I'm not alone. There's people around me, isn't there? Besides, having my father with me is enough."

Naruto sighed, restraining from pulling at her ponytails in frustration. Not only at him, but also at herself; why did she get so emotional? _And..._

"Of course he's too young to realize 'lonely' and 'alone' are two different things."

* * *

_...With him this mad, I can't get him to help me, can I? _Naruto pouted, knowing full well that the bell was signalling the start of lunch break. _Well, it won't be that hard... _

Going outside, she made a beeline for the stone bench she and Sakura had sat on after the team selections with a smile. Sitting down, the blonde quickly stacked her review sheets next to her and unpacked her lunchbox. _Woah, so many side dishes! _She chomped on a octopus-shaped sausage blissfully.

Savoring the taste, she read the pile of paper thoroughly. She had to understand everything and ace the test. That will give her parents something to be proud of, right? Especially since she had just entered the academy. _Wait..._

So is that how Kakashi felt as well? That he had to act like the perfect child in front of the adults to give his father something to be proud of other than his grades?

She chewed thoughtfully on her omellete, before his words struck her mind.

_"Besides, having my father with me is enough."_

What about his mother? This time, she _did _pull at her ponytails; why didn't she notice and ask? Though, if she did, he'd probably clam up―the way he said it sounded as if he didn't realize he was telling her at all.

"Argh, such a complicated four year old brat."

"Who is? And aren't you a four year old too?" Genma's voice caused her to snap her head towards him in alarm.

"Um―Slip of tongue. I'm sure you know who I'm talking about."

"Hatake Kakashi?"

"Who else?" Naruto sighed, before looking up at him hesitantly. "Hey... you wouldn't happen to know what happened to Kakashi's mom, would you?"

"Hmom? My parents talked about her once but I think she died a year ago."

"Oh..." She had expected that, but―"How?"

"I don't know―something to do with an illness. It seemed to have stretched on for a long time."

"I see..."

Genma raised a brow, "Why the sudden interest?"

"Eh, well―" Naruto 'accidentally' looked down at her notes, before panicking, hands slapped to her mouth, "Oh no, I forgot to study!"

He sighed at her obvious puppy eyes. "I got it, I'll help you."

She grinned triumphantly, before all but shoving a quarter of the stack to his chest. "These are the ones I don't understand, Sempai!"  
"You do realize that I'm only two years older, and in the same class as you, right?"

"Yup, Sempai!"

"... Just call me Genma."  
"Hai, Genma-sempai!"

"... Isn't that too long? Sempai's fine."

"Hai, Sempai!"

"... You're making me sound old."

* * *

A smile broke her determined face as she stared down at her paper in pure satisfaction. Naruto read every answer she had written word for word, checking for any flaws, and found none. Standing up, she heard clothes ruffling next to her and saw Kakashi stand up at the same time. _I thought I would be first! _Had he stayed sitting, she would have been the first to finish the test out of the whole class.

He glared.

She glared back.

A challenge sparked between them, and they were zipping down to the teacher's desk before they knew it.

Naruto tried to shove him off as he did the same, grinding their shoulders together as a result, test papers crumpled and clutched in their fists. They were close to the goal, and charged even faster, not paying any heed to the teacher's very amused face.

Slamming their papers down onto the desk, Naruto noticed that Kakashi's paper had slipped under hers.

Defeated, she all but dragged her feet up to get back to her desk. Slumping back in her chair, she glared harshly at him as he had his hands in his pockets and sat down. Sighing, she drew a scarecrow on her desk―not caring if it would get her in trouble―and below it drew fire. She filled the scarecrow black from bottom to top, and erased the fire gleefully.

_I should get a voodoo doll―I never knew I had such a sadistic side!_

Bored, she glanced up at the clock. _Five more minutes... Ugh. _She had been glad to get the seat next to the window originally, but now it felt like a curse. The only person she can talk to is Kakashi, and he wishes to have nothing to do with her. The person in front of her was too far, and the teacher will notice. She peeked at Kakashi's direction, and noticed that he was boredly watching the clock. _Well, it's worth a shot... _

But what should she talk about?

She didn't know why she even bothered to think on it. _Of course it's training._ An idea popped up in her head, and she grinned._"Hey, Kakashi?" _He ignored her, but she already expected him to. _"You know, we've only run around and tried jumping a few times on water, right? How about a spar?"_ That caught his attention.

He turned his head, brows furrowed in confusion. _"What?"_

_"I said, we've only―"_

_"I heard that! I meant," _He took a deep breath as an attempt to suppress his irritation. _"That's way too hard for someone like you."_

_"Oh? Heh, I'll train and master it!"_

A brow twitched in annoyance, and Kakashi sighed, _"You won't have time―we'll be training after school every day."_

_"Who said I'm going to train during the day?__" _Naruto smirked mischievously. _"Don't you dare tell Hatake-sensei, Scarecrow."_

_"You'll die if you're training out on your own at_ midnight,_ Kamaboko."_

Her brows jerking uncontrollably, before she quelled down her irritation at the nickname. Instead, she smiled goofily as she rested her head on her palm―at least the prick wasn't heartless. _"If you're so worried, wanna join me? I can't really spar on my own, ya know."_

_"Are you joking? Who would want to go with you?"_

_"Ah, I see, you don't want to show me your uncool side, eh?"_

_"No!"_

_"Then... you're scared?"_

_"Wha―" _Kakashi grit his teeth, practically seething._ "Of course I'm not. Fine, I'll go."_

_"Great!" _Naruto grinned, before blinking at the bell_. _"Oh, I'll tell you about it after training, 'kay? Don't even _think_ about telling Sensei!"

* * *

"Well, Kakashi, Naruto,I have a meeting with the Hokage, so I'll have to leave now." Sakumo looked concerned as he eyed the bruised and clearly exhausted children lying flat on their backs. "Are you sure you still want to train?"

"Hai, Sensei!" They said, almost out of breath.

He watched them suspicously for a second, but he really had to go. "Alright then, but make sure you go home when your at your limit, you hear?"

"Hai!"

Naruto sighed when he finally popped away with a puff of smoke and sat up, taking a gulp of air. "I thought he'd never leave!" Turning her head to Kakashi, she grinned lazily. "Well... how about we go on Friday since the next day will be a weekend? Training starts at the afternoon on Saturday doesn't it?"

He nodded, "Time?"

"Eleven o'clock. Don't oversleep."

"I won't." Kakashi stood up and patted off the soil and dust from his pants. "Is that all?"

"Yeah." Naruto sighed. _Maybe training at such an hour would be too much for a four year old... _"Are you sure you'll be fine?"

"_Yes._" He ground out, before leaving.

The Namikaze raised a brow. "Is he still mad about earlier?" She fell back, groaning. "Me and my big mouth."

* * *

"Oh, Naruto! Welcome back." Kushina was about to hug the girl, before noticing how much dirt was smudged over her face, limbs, and clothes. "My goodness, _what _did you _do _for training?"

"We were practicing taijutsu, but Kakashi was sorta venting his anger on me." Naruto grinned and scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "Though, I guess I was to blame for his bad day."

"But to rough you up this much? Anyways, hurry and take a shower―dinner's going to be finished soon, and your father and I have been waiting all day to hear how your first day at school was!"

After taking a _heavenly _shower, Naruto threw herself to the sofa and landed on Minato's lap, doing wonders to her aching feet. The man laughed as he petted her damp hair. "What are you, a cat?" He asked teasingly, tickling her sides.

"S-Stop―Dad! Gah!" Giggling, she rolled over and fell flat on her face. "Ow! That hurt!" She clutched her nose in pain. Minato barked in laughter, before pulling the girl back up on his lap and cradling her apologetically.

"Sorry, Naruto!" He chuckled, "How about we get some ice-cream after dinner?"

"Yup!"

"See, you're fine!"

Kushina's cheerful voice called them in for dinner. It was steak tonight.

* * *

"Well, if it isn't Kushina!"

Naruto blinked, her hand held in her mother's as she looked back. _What a pretty lady... _She frowned, _but she looks so much like―_

"Mikoto! How's it going?" The Uzumaki woman grinned and readjusted her grip on her shopping basket. "It's been quite a while since we were both on missions and all. Any changes between you and Fugaku-san?" Her brows wriggled suggestively.

The black haired lady laughed softly, "A little, but more importantly, I see you and Minato-san have gotten quite a lovely daughter!" She crouched, now eye level with Naruto. "Hello, I'm Uchiha Mikoto. You are...?"

The girl blinked. _Uchiha? _"Um―I'm Namikaze Naruto!" She grinned, hiding the numerous questions popping in her head. _She can't be... can she? _"Nice to meet you, Mikoto-neesan!"

"So sweet!" Mikoto smiled, before noticing her watch. "Oh dear, it's already so late! I'm sorry, but I have to go. Let's catch up soon, Kushina, and come visit some time with Naruto-chan!"

The mother and daughter waved back cheerfully, before Kushina noticed Naruto's inquiring stare. "Hm?"

_She can't be Sasuke's mom. That nice person can't be. This'll prove it―_"Who's 'Fugaku-san'?"

"Oh, he's―" Kushina nonchalantly dropped a bag of chips into the basket, "―the head of the Uchiha clan."

_Wait, what?_

"And Mikoto's his soon-to-be wife. Although it was arranged, they seem quite happy―Naruto? Are you okay? You're looking rather pale!"

* * *

Sorry for the late update (TT TT) my computer broke, so the chapter was deleted along with my notes for this story. I had to rewrite _everything._

Thanks for the reviews, alerts, and faves! And I never would have expected that someone (I heard that replying to reviews individually or something is against the rules) would find this fic through one of my reviews. It's kinda embarrassing, but I'm glad they tried this out! Thank you!


	5. Chapter Four

Naruto stared down at the scroll in her hands as she sat on the edge of her orange-sheeted bed, ignoring the soreness from afterschool training. She didn't bother to switch on the lights, making the sunset the only available light source. One hand peeled the edge of the scroll off slowly.

Her eyes scanned the words with such seriousness that, if possible, it would have pierced through the thin, long paper.

"So Kyuubi was right." Not that she doubted him in the first place. Her lips set in a grim line as she summarized the information.

The user of the jutsu steals a very large amount of the victim's chakra, and while doing so they push some of theirs into the seal. The seal functions by altering the user's chakra and multiplying it, and sending it throughout the victim's entire body; first around it―usually at the stomach, like hers―then spreading to the chest and thighs. After that, the invading chakra stretches through the rest of the victim's limbs. It takes over the physical chakra first, making the body numb before literally shrinking it. It then moves onto the spiritual chakra, which weakens the victim and makes them lose their body's 'memory'.

While the user's chakra is still fighting off the victim's, a little of it spreads and works both around the brain and surrounding it. However, this takes _a lot _of time, because there's not enough chakra to literally consume the victim's physical chakra. When the user's chakra is done with everything below the head, it goes up to support its 'comrades'.

They eat on the physical chakra, making the brain and head smaller. But the spiritual chakra is a lot tougher than the brain, so the invading chakra would take much longer.

To avoid 'dying off' it would return to the seal and, to simply put, get renewed before going back (explained in the instructions below). Because the body is much smaller and the chakra had already fought off the victim's, it would take less time to get back to the brain.

Because of this, the victim will have frequent but short, painful headaches. Naruto read on, horror marring her face when her eyes looked over the estimated time left for the victim written.

For the knowledge and memories, it would take roughly one and a half years. For the victim to die, slowly and painfully, would be half a year after that.

In conclusion, if she didn't do something about it soon, her memories will fade completely and she would die in two years.

She had skimmed through this part when she was in the chamber with the Hokage, so she had missed the vital information. Her eyes grew round in shock, her breath quickening and hitching as she clutched her head. Her head had started hurting again, feeling as if an arrow had pierced through making her drop the scroll. She missed the padding of feet walking right outside her door before it was knocked on.

"Naruto? What happened?" Minato's worried voice came through, "Are you alright?"

Her breathing had been erratic enough to be heard, she realized. Mentally calming herself down, she squeaked out. "Yeah, I just…" Naruto quickly picked up and rolled the scroll closed, "… had a small nightmare." She stuffed it under the pillow before ruffling the sheets and falling back, just in time for the man to enter.

Minato's face was slightly scrunched in worry, but loosened into a soft, fatherly look as he gently sat beside her. "Are you sure you're alright?"

She nodded, forcing a smile. "I can't even remember it anymore, so it probably wasn't that bad." She faked a yawn, "And I'm still sleepy. How much longer 'til dinner?"

"Your mother says half an hour, so do you want me to wake you up then?"

"Yeah, thanks, Tou-chan." He smiled as he draped the blanket over her, before pecking her cheek.

"Mm. Alright, see you later. If you have another nightmare, just come down, alright?"  
"Yup." Naruto said sleepily, closing her eyes, waiting for him to go out.

She peeked, and noticed that the room was already empty with the door closed. _I didn't even hear him, _she thought in amazement. Shaking her head, the blonde quickly threw back the covers and snatched the scroll from under her pillow. _If it shows what order to write the parts of the seal to activate it, then it should be easy to find out how to deactivate it!_

Her hands traced through the words she read carefully, her brows furrowed in deep concentration. _The kanji characters are written and literally squished into a spiral, like the Uzumaki swirl… _she frowned, _the user has to start from writing the center―__the beginning of the spiral―__and when done, has to write another layer on top of it. The second layer is what multiplies the chakra, while the first makes it longer lasting. _She scowled, _so that's how the user's chakra can last as long as even _one year.

Naruto's lips set into a grim line; the jutsu is really just two complicated seals packed into one. _They're not even mixed together. _If she had dissolved the second layer, she'll be able to access the first, which would mean that she can stop the Whirlpool zombie kunoichi's chakra from cycling around her body.

_But, _her brows knit together; _wouldn't her chakra disrupt the flow of mine? _

Scanning her eyes over the contents of the scroll again, she found the line she was looking for. Yes, because the user's chakra should be unfamiliar with the victim, in addition to the loss of experience, it should make them unable to even mold chakra.

_So why? _Naruto rolled up her shirt enough to see her stomach, and molded her chakra. While doing so, she noticed that her reserves _were _smaller than it should be at her current age, though during training she had thought it was because she shrunk and all. _A lot more than Kakashi's though_.

She thought for a minute, before blinking. "Oh."

It was most likely because they were related; their chakra would be somewhat similar. So the older kunoichi's chakra must have also been converted into her own. _Knowing that, Kabuto must have made the zombie force more chakra into the seal. _

She leaned against the headboard and brought her legs to her chest, staring at the now closed scroll she held with one hand, while the other rubbed her temple. It was starting to hurt from how much thinking she had done. "Ugh, I might as well sleep it off."

* * *

She waited in the shadows, and watched him jump down from his window, the moonlight reflecting on his silver hair. His head turned side to side, looking for her, and she stepped out of the darkness with a smirk.

"So you came out on time. I was worried you'd oversleep, Scarecrow."

Though she couldn't see through his mask, she could somehow tell his lips curled downwards into a scowl. "I'm not you, Kamaboko."

"Didn't I tell you to quit with that nickname and start calling me 'Naruto'?"

"Must have slipped my mind." He turned away from her, "Where are we going to train?"

"At the river. Come on."

She grabbed his hand tightly so he couldn't pull it out, and popped away with him.

Naruto applied chakra to her feet just in time, the soles of her sandals made contact with the water's surface, before she all but threw her (reluctant) friend onto the grassy land. Kakashi yelped when his behind crashed onto the ground. "Sorry about that," the girl apologized, but both knew she hadn't really meant it.

With a glare he got up, and hopped onto the river as well.

"Remember, Scarecrow, ninjutsu's also an option!"

Without warning he attacked, fist raised and heading straight for her cheek. Naruto ducked and caught it with ease, before using the force of his attempted hit to her advantage. She stood back up, and pulled his hand behind her, making him lose his momentum. She rammed her knee into his stomach, knocking the breath out of him before using her other leg to kick his side.

Kakashi skidded back onto the grass and refrained from groaning in pain. Despite his annoyance at being so easily thrown off, he had a smirk. Taijutsu had been her strongest point after vigorous training, no doubt, and she wasn't holding back at all. While she did have strength (though he had more, Kakashi smugly noted), what made her hand-to-hand combat skills superb was her speed.

He watched her determinedly; though she did say he can use ninjutsu, Kakashi didn't want to―not yet, when they're just beginning. Naruto noticed this, and had a grin.

"I've noticed this the day I met you, but you're _really _competitive, Scarecrow." She crouched, her hands balling to fists. "Come on!"

She blocked, dodged, and countered many of his attacks, but the ones that did manage to reach her had slightly slowed her down. However, she was still a tad bit faster than him. Growing deeply frustrated, he jumped back a few meters to think.

A wide smirk appeared under his mask, and he waited for the other to go on offensive. She didn't disappoint, running to him with both fists kept by her sides. While he jumped back, he noticed her peculiar style of fighting, but pushed the thought back for later.

When she was close enough, he took a step back, before dipping one foot into the water.

She saw it, but didn't have time to react when he kicked a large amount of water towards her, using chakra to expand the wave. Realizing what he was planning, she leaped back, but was too late. "Dammit," she muttered, wishing she had worn waterproof clothes, or at least took off her jacket first. Now, her cotton outfit hung heavily.

He charged, not wasting even a split second, making her avoid and block every one of his attacks. She didn't have time to unzip her jacket, never mind taking it off. Her clothes and his attempted hits were starting to affect the chakra to flowing to her feet.

_I'm _not _going to be the first to use ninjutsu, dammit! _She smirked, _since I'm already like this… _Naruto ducked from Kakashi's kick before diving into the water and moving behind him, catching the boy by surprise.

Before he understood her intentions, she grabbed hold of his ankles and tugged forcefully, knowing that his brief moment of shock had disrupted the chakra supporting him up. As he fell, Naruto applied chakra to her hands to push herself to the surface. He did the same a few seconds after, but Naruto slyly shoved him back in (though after making sure he had took in enough air―she didn't want to _drown _her future sensei, of course).

He swam away this time, but she was faster than him. He glared, attempting to pull her down like she did to him, but Naruto merely hopped out of his way. "Give up?" She mouthed, knowing he couldn't hear her in the water.

He seemed to contemplate his options, before nodding, clearly unhappy. She walked to the land, not offering a hand because she _knew _he would just pull her in as revenge.

She turned to seem him ring out the water from his shirt and grinned. "I win." She said in a singsong tone.

"Shuddap." He sneezed.

Frowning in worry, Naruto hopped down to him. "Hey, are you okay?" Her question was answered with a glare. "Alright, alright. But just so you know, you were the one who started using water as a weapon."

They both sat down, waiting for their hair and clothes to dry. Eventually, they were lying down on the thankfully warm grass, and Naruto noticed that Kakashi had curled up, back facing her. _Is he sleeping? _She sneaked around, and saw that his eyes were closed, and his breathing let her know that he was. Sighing, she gently pulled him onto her back, and used the Body Flicker technique.

Reaching the front of his house, Naruto slightly bounced to stop the boy from falling off. She stared up at his window, and wondered how the hell she was supposed to get up there without dropping him.

She contemplated on leaving the boy at the doorstep, but quickly crossed out that idea.

Sighing, she put him down before picking him up again, this time holding him in front of her. _God he was heavy._ Testing her foot onto the wall and deeming her the constant flow of her chakra safe, she used chakra on one of her hands to keep her up before using her other foot. She tried not to think how hard it was to keep holding on to the wall while holding Kakashi, who was roughly the same size as her.

Eventually she reached the window, sweating profusely as she soundlessly opened it _(thank god the idiot didn't lock it!), _and contemplated on throwing the boy in.

_No, _Sakumo-sensei was going to rush up and realize that they were sneaking around at _midnight. _Groaning, she stepped in, making sure she didn't make a sound. The floor creaked so she put the boy onto her shoulders again before crouching on all fours. Scurrying to his bed, she pulled off the blanket before slowly getting up and placing him there. Naruto softly moves the cover on top of him and was about to get out before something caught her eye.

A picture?

The moonlight seeping in reflected off the glass of the frame, so she picked it up from Kakashi's bedside table. It was a photograph of three people; Sakumo-sensei with a mask-less Kakashi on his shoulders, and a beautiful woman. She was laughing along with the father as Kakashi reached for her, still holding on to Sakumo's hair for dear life.

_That must be Kakashi's mother, _Naruto realized, and smiled softly. Who would of thought this cute little boy would be that sulking, broody brat?

She put the photo frame back on the table and watched the sleeping Hatake. A serene smile reached her face as she combed her hand through his hair and whispered, _"She's surely proud of you up there. Though, it probably wouldn't hurt to make some friends, Kakashi."_

She walked to the window, looked back once more at the boy, and jumped out.

_Good night._

* * *

The Hokage sighed, leaning back into his chair as he reflected back on what Naruto informed him. "I see. So we'll have to call Jiraiya here immediately then―is what I'd like to say, but he has some very important spying to do a long way away from here." His lips set in a grim line, "It looks like we'll have to wait a few months."  
"But Hokage-sama! My memories－"

"I know, we'll have to do something about that." The man frowned, "we'll have no other choice but to seal them away."

Panic was clear in her features and her voice, "But if we do that I won't remember almost everything until I remove the seal!"

"I apologize, let me rephrase. I'll use a special type of seal that copies and preserves your memories. The copy might not be clear, but memories you remember the best would be."

"Oh, okay."

"I warn you though, it will be painful."

She grinned, "I'm sure I have experienced worse."

Later, down in a dark, dim-lit chamber (they wind up in there often these days, don't they?), Naruto was struggling from muffling her screams. The sealing process felt as if something sharp was piercing through her forehead where the Hokage's palm was, and scrambling her brain around.

If only she knew it would_ hurt_ this fucking much! Tears had tracked down her cheeks just as violently as her cries tried to escape through her lips. She bit into her shirt to keep herself from biting her tongue. Naruto restrained from grabbing the man's hand off of her and instead clenched her shorts tightly as she tried to keep still in her sitting position.

Enduring the unbelievable pain for who knows how long, the Sarutobi finally moved his hand away and Naruto fell back, writhing as she all but slapped her hands over the burning mark on her forehead.

"I'm sorry, Naruto, I wish I could lessen the pain, but…" Hiruzen trailed off as he looked away from her in guilt. Waiting several moments, Naruto finally calmed down, but still breathed heavily as she slowly sat up, sweating profusely and relief wafting over her now that the pain was nearly gone.

"It's not your fault, Hokage-sama, so please don't look like that." She tried to laugh, but instead winced; the muscles around her cheeks hurt from her jaw clenching so hard on her orange shirt.

"Still, Naruto, I'm sorry for what you have to endure." Using his sleeves to wipe the sweat off his face, he sighed. "You'll have to hide that seal―though I don't think you can from your parents, though."

"Oh…" Naruto touched the mark on her forehead; the color of dried blood, it took on the shape of what seemed to be a triangle with a circle inside, a line slashing over both. "Does it look weird?" she smiled sheepishly; her muscles seemed to have loosened.

He chuckled, ruffling and not minding her damp hair. "I'd say it looks… unusual."

"Same thing as weird, Jijii."

He laughed now, a fond smile on his face. "You should call me that more. It makes me feel human." She raised a brow, before grinning.

"I'll insult you all I want then!"

"Ah, no, Naruto, I've never said that…"

* * *

"Naruto! Wake up!"

Said girl shot straight up from her desk, noticed that she was in the classroom and laughed as she scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "Sorry, Sensei!"

The class giggled and laughed at her antics, while the man only sighed. "It's only been half a year since you entered the academy, yet you're already slacking off!" He frowned, "I do hope you're preparing properly for the exams, Naruto."

"But Sensei," she whined, "that's like, another six months away!" Her classmates hooted and shouted in agreement, Mika and Kippei the loudest in particular.

It had been that long, and Jiraiya has yet to return; the mission had a few miscalculations, and his spy network had a few problems. He should be back around now, though, to Naruto and the Hokage's relief.

"Quiet!" The chuunin yelled, silencing the room immediately. "Yes, it's another six months away, but it is what decides your future holds! The better you do, the more likely you'll get a better team sensei!"

"Hai, Sensei…" She sat back down, yawning. Kakashi stared at her in distain.

"Do you not care about your grades?"

"Of course I do," she began, drawing a stickman figure. "But I'm not worried; I'm confident I'll get a good score on the exams even without trying to shove books in my head." She then proceeded to add hair, a moustache, and a beard. To him, they looked like mere scribbles.

"Well, at least your drawings are getting _decent." _He wrinkled his nose, "still sucks though."

"Why, thank you." Naruto rolled her eyes, before writing an arrow and 'the jerk sitting next to me' next to the drawing.

Kakashi scoffed, and ruined her masterpiece by scribbling all over it. "You're welcome."

She was about to shout in indignation, but noticed the teacher glaring at them. Plastering a smile she waved, and pretended to write notes vigorously into her book.

Peeking up, she noticed he sighed and went back to the blackboard, and turned to Kakashi, _"You nearly got us in trouble!"_

"_I nearly got _you _in trouble."_

"_He would have known you were partly to blame anyways."_

"_But to him it would look like _you're _the one pestering me, wouldn't it? That's the truth, after all."_

Naruto glared, but he _did _have a point. She sighed, before her mind drifted back to the seal she had hidden underneath some bandage, saying it was a cut she got from training alone. But she needed to find a new cover up soon; a cut would heal, and that would also mean she'll lose her excuse for hiding the mark from her parents. _What should I say then? _She slowly frowned in thought, before rubbing the bridge of her nose tiredly. _I've been doing too much thinking. _

She stared outside through the window at the birds. _Lucky them. Flying so freely without a care in the world, s_he scowled, _while I'm cooped up here drowning in my thoughts. _

"Everyone, come down here and work on your Bunshin. I hope you all were paying attention."

Naruto frowned. _Bunshin? _She raised her hand. "Sensei!"

He raised a brow, "Yes Naruto?"

"Um, I know _how _to do the cloning jutsu, but I have some… conditions that prevent me from actually doing it."

Kakashi turned back to her, silently questioning. Now that he looked back on it, she always _did _use the solid versions of the Bunshin jutsu. He watched the teacher's bemused face, before sighing. "Sensei, her version's different from the normal one. I've seen it many times before, and as much as I hate to admit it, it's a lot more effective." He grumbled, wondering why he was even helping her explain. "She probably picked it up outside of Konoha."

The girl whipped her head back at him with wide eyes, before a grin settled on her face. He turned away stubbornly, glaring at nothing in particular as the chuunin nodded. "Very well, Naruto, come down and show us your Bunshin jutsu first."

Hopping down, though a little pressured by the stares and whispers, she stopped next to the desk so both the class and the teacher can see her properly. A grin stretched her face, and she formed her favorite hand seal. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

The man's eyes widened, "Wait―"

Two clones appeared in front of her, perfect _and _in different poses from their original. The teacher's mouth opened and closed, not quite able to say anything as he walked up to them. He reached a hand out to their shoulder, before recoiling in shock. "That's―how do you know the Kage Bunshin?" He took a deep breath, trying to get in his head that a _five year old _was able to conduct such a jutsu. "It's―it's forbidden for the amount of chakra it needs, Naruto!"

"Yeah, that's why I can only do about ten." She laughed, "For some reason, I can't perform the basic clone technique." Well, she _can _because of the numerous chakra exercises she practiced, but it wouldn't last very long.

"Does Hokage-sama know about this?" Now there were small, confused whispers from the students as they watched their teacher internally freak out.

"Yep."

"Alright, dispel your clones and get back to your seat."

Naruto was about to shrug and do so, before a brilliant plan popped in her mind. The clones seemed to understand the smirk she sent them, before one stood behind the other. The copy at the front popped away, and the cloud covered the left over clone and creator. Wasting no time, the original Naruto disappeared via Body Flicker, leaving her copy behind to parade as her.

Nonchalantly, it bounced back to her desk.

* * *

Naruto smirked as she landed right outside her classroom. Crouching, she crawled outside so she wouldn't be seen through the windows and headed for the exit of the building.

_Its official, _she thought with a smirk, _I'm a genius. _She frowned, jumping over the gates as she pondered on what to do. _If I go too far, the clone I left would pop away. _

Blinking, she grinned; _of course. _Training!

She headed for the river, making sure she avoided being found out by using various illusions over herself, of course. Naruto rolled up her knee-length pants once reaching there, and hopped onto the water surface. _I might as well run the whole line. _And, of course, with a little trick.

Applying chakra to also her muscles, she took off.

Halfway through her training, Naruto noticed a familiar brown-haired boy walking not too far away from her, and her brows furrowed in confusion. What was Genma doing there?

Remembering that the trio she was familiar with wasn't at class, she grinned. _They're skipping now are they? _She hopped off of her jogging route and landed soundlessly on the grass. _I guess I'll see where he's going. Most likely to meet up with Shizuka and Mika. _

Sneakily she followed him, eyeing the alley walls she now crept in warily before jumping on them. Just where _is _he going? Maybe it was the three's own little 'hideout' of sorts that she shouldn't enter?

_Well, I followed him all the way here, so I don't think I can back out now, _she reasoned, and continued to crawl on the wall. A grin full of mischief crept up her face. Maybe she can mess with him a little bit?

Climbing up higher in precaution, she took out a crumpled note in her pocket. Grabbing a pencil from her pouch, she crossed out the previous words before writing, 'I'm watching you.' Crushing it to a ball, she threw it to his feet hard.

He started, looking back before down at it and picking it up. He stared at it, glanced back once more, before unfolding it.

He whipped his head back and looked around, eyes wide. Naruto grinned, knowing that he wouldn't look up at her. Genma frowned, shrugged, and tossed the note away nonchalantly.

Naruto felt slightly nostalgic as she stalked the boy. She would skip school and walk around town freely back when she was in _her _academy _all _the time. Though not so often, Shikamaru, Chouji and Kiba would go with her when they were bored enough. A memory of the three brought a small laugh out of her lips.

Despite it not being very loud, Genma heard it sharp and clear, and his head shot up. His eyes found her wide ones and blinked in surprise, before a smirk was on his lips. "Oops," was all she could utter.

"I never knew you stalked people, Naruto."

Blushing in embarrassment, she glared weakly. "I'm not stalking you! I was just wondering what you were up to…"

"Well, I can see _you're _up on a _wall._" He said incredulously. "How did you get up there?"

"Oh, this?" Naruto grinned proudly, "Ain't it awesome? I can walk up here as long as I―" her feet lost contact with the wall with a loud 'pop.' "_Gyah!_"

A grunt of pain was released, but it wasn't hers. Realizing she wasn't hurt as she expected, Naruto peeked, before her blue eyes widened immediately.

She all but jumped off of Genma, before going in a frenzy, "Gah―Genma, I'm _so _sorry! I didn't―I didn't mean to fall on you!" She fussed all over him and helped the boy sit up.

"For a small girl, you sure are heavy…"

"Blame gravity!" She growled, cheeks flaming.

"I'm kidding." He rolled his eyes, and shoved his hand in front of her expectantly.

Naruto took a moment to understand. "Oh!" She grabbed it and pulled him up to his feet. "Sorry."

"It's fine," he sighed, before patting the dust off his pants. "So are you coming with me?"

"Yeah! I don't have anything else to do." Naruto grinned, hopping next to him. "Where're you heading?"  
"Nowhere in particular. I'm just killing time."

"Eh? I thought you were going to meet up with the others."

"You mean Shizuka and Mika?" At her nod, he waved his hand dismissively. "Mika's sick, and I think Shizuka has some family business or something."

"Oh. I thought they were skipping like us."

"Anyways, come on."

They had settled on a bridge over the river, where not many people cross. "You're going to buy your lunch?"

Naruto blinked as she looked up from her wallet, before smiling at Genma. "Yeah, my parents had an early mission so they couldn't make my lunch. And they said that everything but the microwave and fridge in the kitchen is off limits."

As she skipped to the convenience store, Naruto pondered. The clone she made hadn't popped away despite her being so far; she knew that because she didn't have a memory rush. Maybe she had pushed in more chakra in that clone? Shrugging, she put on a henge and entered the shop.

When she got back, Genma raised a brow before sighing exasperatedly. "Weren't you only going to buy an onigiri and drink?"

Naruto held a rice ball, a packet of chips, two cans of grape flavored Fanta, and two melonpans in both arms. "I thought you'd want to share…" She pouted, "You don't want any? I bought the drink for you too."

"I like grape…"

"Great!" She beamed, before putting everything down and throwing him his can, which he caught with ease. "Nice catch."

He merely nodded, before pointedly staring at something behind her. She followed his gaze, before scrambling to her feet to catch her rolling away drink.

It fell in the river with a plop. She jumped over, making Genma's eyes round in shock, "Oi!"

He jumped and leaned over the bridge's red handle, before letting a breath out in relief. "You should tell me you can walk on water before you do something like that."

"Heh, sorry 'bout that! But you should have warned me earlier rather than just staring!"

When they settled down Naruto suddenly grinned. At Genma's raised brow, she explained. "You know, you're a lot like Kakashi, though a whole lot nicer and stuff."

"… How am I supposed to take that as?"  
"Compliment. You're much better than him in terms of sociality."

He hummed monotonously, staring at nothing in particular, before saying, "You're pretty good with words. You don't sound like a five year old at all."  
"Thank you." Naruto grinned, biting into her onigiri.

"You're around him a lot. Doesn't his personality bother you?"

"Foo, Gagahi?"She asked through a full mouth. He nodded, before she gulped down her food. "Sometimes, but when I retort back so does he, so it's all good. Better than when he's all silent and gloomy, y' know?"

"… You're thoughtful."

"I know, I'm a kind soul, aren't I?" She boasted, laughing at herself.

He nodded, almost as if because he was expected to. Resting his head on his palm, elbow on knee, he stared at her, and looked to be in deep thought.

"What?"

"I've thought about this before, but you should be glad you're wordy."

Naruto's brows furrowed in confusion, and she asked, "Why?"

"Because you would have seemed like an idiot if you weren't."

* * *

They got back when lunch time had just started, and Naruto looked for her clone while staying out of the other students' sight. _There I am! _She saw it head for the toilets. _Perfect timing. _She Body Flickered at the corner nearby it, looked around, and entered in after the clone. She dispelled it, saw flashes of Kakashi stuffing insults to her head, and stormed off.

Naruto ran into the boys' bathroom door and fell back, clutching her nose in pain.

"What are you doing, Kamaboko?"  
Her eyes snapped open at the nickname and voice, groaning at the sight of the boy who she was just cursing a mere moment ago. "Kakashi! Don't just suddenly open the door like that!"

He held out his hand for her to grab it reluctantly. "It's your fault for not seeing where you're going, Usuratonkachi."

_His eyes flashed at the blood gushing out from her wound, and they looked directly in hers with anger and… worry? Was he worried for her? "Don't be so reckless, Usuratonkachi!"_

Her eyes widened at the familiar insult. Slapping his hand away, she snarled, "_Don't say that!_" She stood up, glared at him once more, and stalked off.

Kakashi raised a brow. Did he strike a nerve? By using a name like 'Usuratonkachi'?

"What's up with her?"

Elsewhere, Naruto sulked on a tree branch, using a kunai to scratch marks on the bark. Knowing him, the blonde was sure he would start using the same nickname because it affected her so much. _I'm an idiot; _"Just like what Genma told me."

"Naruto?" A quiet girl's voice startled her. She moved behind her and looked down.

"Oh, Shizuka! I thought you were absent today?"

"Yeah, but my father made me go after we settled some things. What did Genma tell you?"

"That I would look like an idiot if it weren't for my great vocabulary."

"… That's not true."

"Oh yeah? Then why'd you hesitate there, huh?" Naruto grumbled, "I know you agree with him!"

The Hyuuga hummed thoughtfully, before staring up at the younger girl's face. "But still," She began, took a small chunk of her rice with her chopsticks. "It's rare for him to tease someone," Shizuka didn't elaborate, and chomped on her lunch.

"Huh?" The blonde scoffed, "He seems like the type to bully someone with just a few words."

"No, usually he would just listen and not talk to the people he likes or cares about."

"What if he doesn't like me? What if, deep, _deep _down inside, he actually hates me?"

"No, that's impossible. We all―including the class―think of you as a little sister. Kippei seems to like you since you help him and Mika set pranks on the teacher." She smiled softly, "I think Genma just treats you differently because he couldn't help it."

Naruto blushed, looking down at her fidgeting fingers. "Oh…" She trailed off, before wearing a thankful grin, "You're like an awesome older sis, Shizuka-chan!"

The girl giggled, bringing her hand up and signaled for the other to come down. Curiously, Naruto obliged, jumping down using chakra to cushion her fall. "I've always wanted a little sister," the Hyuuga admitted softly, and the blue eyes widened as she planted a kiss on the blonde's forehead.

Naruto touched it, and gazed up at Shizuka's rare wide smile.

* * *

Mika growled, "There's a pervert spying on the women's side!"

"Eh―What…" Naruto stared up at the tall man in absolute shock. She had recognized that white hair outside the bathhouse and knew who it was. The location another dead giveaway. "Oh, so _now _he appears?" She sighed, looking back at her older friend apologetically. "You can go home first."

"Eh, Naruto, you _know _that person…?"

"Sadly, yes I do."

"Oh… well, good luck with him."

The blonde forced a laugh as she waved her friend off, "Yeah, see ya tomorrow." She turned to the man peeking through a hole on the wood. "Hey, you!" She growled, making him snap to her in surprise. "Whaddya think you're doing!"

"Hmm… a girl who looks like Minato and Kushina put together, eh?" Jiraiya smirked, "So you're the little squirt the old man was desperate for me to see."

Naruto didn't say anything, eyeing him warily. He chuckled, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he surveyed her. "The similarities are shocking… Are you their daughter? I never knew they had―"

"No, I'm not." She rushed, before tugging at his clothes, "Come on. We have to get to Jijii's office quickly."

"Alright, alright, no need to be so anxious." He raised a brow, "There's nothing wrong with you is there?"

"Yes, there is something _horribly _wrong with me. So _come on, _you pervy sage."

"Wha―"  
"No time to explain, _Ero-sennin._" Naruto grinned as she walked in front of him, not showing her old mentor the pure joy she was experiencing at seeing him again.

"Gah! Kids have no respect these days do they?"

She raised a brow, "Why'd you take so long anyways?"

"Classified, especially from brats like you, kid."

"The name's _Naruto._"

"Hmph. How would I know that? My name's _Jiraiya, _the G_reat _Toad Sage!" He had already pulled away from her and, before she knew it, gotten into his dramatic pose, arms raised and fingers outstretched. "Remember the name and remember it well!"

"Yeah, yeah, Ero-sennin, I already knew all that."

"… You're never going to drop that nickname are you?"

* * *

And so, Jiraiya appears~

How was this chapter? I was trying to add some bonding with the characters. Feedback would be awesome!

Thank you to the people who took the time to review! I'm glad people enjoy what I write :D I tried to balance the last chapter and I'm happy some people found it funny at times TvT Yup, Kakashi's shouldering a lot...

What I'm worried about most is the mini fighting scene in this chapter... Was it bad? Horrible? Absolutely boring? I have no confidence when it comes to fighting scenes...

Well, this chapter was pretty long O.O I didn't think I could write so much in just a few days... Anways, please inform me of any minor or major mistakes I've made! I have a feeling I'm missing out something, but I might just be paranoid ^^"

Edit: Ugh, something went wrong and I only realized it after posting this chapter up. Some of the sentences were messed up, and I think I fixed most of them but I might have missed some. Please tell me if you spot something off or anything!


	6. Chapter Five

"What… I don't think quite got what you're saying…" Jiraiya's brows furrowed, eyes narrowing in shock.

"What I'm saying, Jiraiya, is that this five year old girl you see in front of you is actually—or would have been—a seventeen year old lady, born nine years into the future." The Sandaime's sober face was unrevealing as he continued. "She knows about your old students, Konan, Yahiko, and—"

"Nagato?" the white haired man ended through clenched teeth, before his wide eyes were on Naruto. "Why… No, _how _do you know them?"

"They weren't dead—two of them were not dead when I first met them." She replied, previous cheerfulness gone and replaced by regret. "Yahiko was there, but he wasn't alive."

"Yahiko?" Jiraiya took a deep breath. "Nagato used his eyes on him, didn't he?"

"Yeah, the 'Six Paths of Pain'." The girl's lips were set in a grim line, her eyes averted from his painful gaze for a moment. She gave a small smile. "But if we hurry, I think we can save him. We can save Yahiko."

"How?"

Hiruzen spoke this time, being more informed with the topic. "As you may have known, Rain has been taken over by Hanzō a while back. But his position is being intimidated by the group called 'Akatsuki'."  
"Ah, I've heard of them. Don't tell me that those three—"

Naruto inclined her head once, "Exactly. Nagato, Konan, and Yahiko are in the organization, and Yahiko's the leader, though Nagato's the actual head of it in terms of power. Yahiko is what motivates the group, you could say." She looked down at the note in her hands which contained reminders of what she needed to explain. "Um…Hanzō, viewed the Akatsuki as a threat to his status as leader of Amegakure and schemed with Konoha's Root to eliminate them. Claiming to want to discuss peace, Hanzō lured Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan to an ambush.

"They did as he planned, although I'm sure they had suspicions. He forced Nagato to choose between killing Yahiko or Konan, and, not wanting to force Nagato to make the choice, Yahiko impaled himself with a kunai that Nagato was expected to use. Yahiko's lasts words were telling Nagato to survive, because he believed in what Jiraiya said; that Nagato would become the world's savior."

Naruto sighed, subconsciously rubbing her forehead―or rather, the seal on it. "This incident, I think, is what warped Nagato's judgment and view of peace."  
She grimly took in her future mentor's grief-stricken expression, before attempting to fix the dark atmosphere. "Don't be like that, Ero-sennin!" She gave a small but meaningful smile. "This is why I'm here, aren't I? Think of me as… what do you call 'im again? The guy who comes in to suddenly fix and make what seemingly unsolvable situation fine and dandy in a story?"

The Hokage chuckled, "Deus ex Machina, Naruto." He watched his former student and smiled. "She's right, Jiraiya. Compared to entering a state of depression, finding a way to save those three would be a better action, would it not?"

"You're… right, Sensei, Naruto."

Relief had shown through her grin as the time traveler said cheekily, "I always am, Ero-sennin. How can I _not _be?" Her expression melted into a more mature smile, "Pull yourself together, alright?"

He gratefully ruffled her spiky bangs, "This brat…" he muttered fondly.

* * *

_"The mission would have to be done immediately, but it would be suspicious if Naruto left the village with someone as internationally famous as Jiraiya without an explanation, so we'll wait a week. That way you can clear up people's confusion and guesses―I'm sure that the fact I assigned this mission to you would surely rouse shock. I know a story you could use if asked, and for it to work you would have to bring Uzumaki Kushina along."_

_"Huh?" Naruto frowned, "Why?"_

_"Just say to any inquirers that you both happened to have a skill that proves useful for the mission. They can't push any further into that; this is classified, and if they want to try squeezing out answers, they can come to me―of course, I won't reveal anything."  
_Naruto furrowed her brows worriedly. Would it work? An academy student, four year old, no less, is going out on a mission _outside of Konoha _with the legendary toad sage _Jiraiya_? That had probably never happened before.

Her thoughts distracted her focus on the chakra gluing her feet to the branch, and Naruto noticed a split second too late that she was about to fall. A curse escaped her lips as she tried to maneuver herself in the air to land to her feet.

Softening the impact of her landing with chakra, she noticed the Hatake duo's alerted faces, and apologized sheepishly. "Sorry, it won't happen again, I'll make sure of it."  
"What's on your mind, Naruto? Usually you would have been able to catch yourself before reaching anywhere near the ground." Sakumo frowned slightly in concern.

"Oh, no, it's just…" Well, she had to tell him sooner than later, right? Biting her lip, her eyes flickered to Kakashi and kept herself from cursing when he noticed.

He scowled in obvious irritation. "Is it something you can't say in front of me?"

"No, it's not like that…" _it's just that you would surely blow up with envy if I did that, _she thought bitterly. Sighing, she shrugged; the boy was going to find out anyways. "Actually, I'll have to leave Konoha for a while―a classified mission, Sakumo-sensei."  
Naruto could tell Kakashi was gob-smacked. Sakumo was just as astonished, before his face hardened, "Naruto, did Hokage-sama really hand that to you? Going out of Konoha to complete a mission is surely above C-rank, which are for genins and up _only_." His eyes narrowed, "It's dangerous."

_Wait, so academy students do D-ranks? _Well, that would make sense seeing as it was the time of war, the toughest one yet. "Yes, I'm assigned to that mission, Sensei."

"What about your parents? What did they have to say about it?"

"E―Jiraiya-sensei and my mother will be with me, so my father will be alright with it, I think. I haven't spoken to them yet."

"_Jiraiya-sensei_?" The man repeated in shock, "You mean… Do you mean Jiraiya-sama of the Legendary Sannin?"

"Yeah―"

"Why are _you _of all people going?" Kakashi snapped bitterly.

"I have… something importan that is needed for this mission. What it is or what it's going to be used for is classified."

Sakumo frowned at his son in disapproval to his tone, before sighing. "Really… When is the mission?"

"In six days."

He nodded with a smile on his face. "We have six days to train then. Alright, you two, run on the whole river!"

Kakashi scowled in clear displeasure, and shot Naruto a dirty look as if to say 'it's your fault.'

After the endless efforts of Kakashi trying to shove the blonde off their course, he and Naruto reached the end of their (incredibly long) warm-up. Their sensei was nowhere in sight, so they began sparring on the grass.

Trading numerous punches and kicks, the fight ended with Kakashi being the winner this time, and he got off her back triumphantly. Naruto scoffed, patting off the dirt on her white shirt and orange shorts. "You've gotten a lot better than last time," she said, going to the river to wash off the dirt and sweat on her face. Kakashi followed suit, and splashed some of the cold water again to his swollen cheek―Naruto had given him one heck of a punch.

"Are you sure you weren't just getting weaker?"

"Shuddap. I'm improving heaps and bounds ya know. You just happened to pick up on stuff a _little _better than I do."

He huffed, "Whatever you say, Kamaboko."

"Scarecrow," she retorted back. "Geez, you sure aren't cute."

"Don't say that as if you're older than me."

Naruto stuck her tongue out at him, skipping off. "Sensei's not here even though it's been quite a while, so I'm going to buy some ice-cream. What flavor, Scarecrow?"

"Wha―I'm going too." Kakashi glared at her, "You'd probably going to try skipping like you do at the academy anyways."

"Eh? You noticed?"

"Of course. You did it too many times that I find it _hard _to not." He sighed and shoved his hands in the pockets of his black shorts. "I'm surprised the teacher hasn't."

"He was probably paying attention to the other students who had problems." Naruto grinned, slipping into her habit of folding her arms behind her head. "Kippei especially."  
The silver-haired boy scoffed. "He's an idiot, so of course he'd fall behind."

"Hey, he's stronger than you. If you got time to think about his weaknesses, why don't you think of ways to get some muscle, hm?"

Her comment earned her a bop in the head. "Ow! Don't go violent on me!"

Sakumo readjusted the plastic bags in his hands again before looking up from his grocery list. Brows furrowing in confusion, he looked from side to side.

"Where are those two?"

Naruto twitched on the sofa at the sound of the doorbell. _Must be him! _"I'll get it!" She said subconsciously, before remembering that no one was home at the moment. "Right, stupid me," she muttered, rolling her eyes as the door opened with a click.

"Yo, brat!" A bright smile reached her face as she stared up at her previous―_or should I say future?―_mentor (all the while enjoying the nostalgia coming from the way he addressed her).

"Hey, Ero-sennin!" Naruto grinned, raising a brow. "You're late. Let me guess, you ran into a lady in distress and decided to help her?"

"Oh, how did you know?" He ruffled her spiky bangs, apparently not noticing her scowl. "Well, she was _elated _when I tried my best to _please _her."

Naruto inwardly sighed; trust this man to try and take advantage of a five year old's ignorance. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Come on! We're wasting time as we speak." She griped, pointing at her stomach.

"Sheesh, you remind me too much of Kushina-chan, ya know!" He whined, letting himself get pulled by the girl who was half his height. "So pushy and loud!"

With her right brow twitching irritably, she grumbled, "Like you're any different." Climbing up on a chair by the dining table, she molded chakra and pulled up her shirt enough to show the seal. Jiraiya's eyes widened before narrowing, and he looked up at the girl's face solemnly.

"You were a jinchuuriki?"

"Yeah," Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck, "and you probably guessed it already, but I'm the host of the Nine Tailed Fox."

He sighed, and studied the seal on top of the Hakke Fuuin. "So you really _are _Kushina's daughter. I've already known Minato was your father, and believed that your mother was her, but... well, the seal just blew away any doubts I had."  
"Yup. Hey, Ero-sennin?" He grunted. "Did Dad make a jutsu called the 'Rasengan' yet? It's a jutsu where lotsa chakra is charged and packed into a ball."

"No, I've never seen or heard that jutsu before." He smirked, getting out a paper and pencil to write some notes. "Why? You want to become the creator of that jutsu before him?"

"Not necessarily, but it would make things easier if I could use it at any time without getting questioned by him or anyone who knows it."

He hummed thoughtfully, before standing up from his kneeling position. "Anyways, I think it would be pretty easy to get rid of this parasite once we―"

"Really?" Naruto shot up, clutching onto his vest with glimmering hope in her eyes.

"Calm down. I wasn't finished," he sighed, a slight troubled expression on his face as he looked down on his paper. "It seems that though the jutsu is pretty basic, there are… locks, you could say, around it."  
The girl flew to the sofa and thrashed her limbs in frustration."Gah! Why do locks _always _come my way?"

"But," One corner of Jiraiya's lips quirked into a smirk, "the problem will be fixed by a spark of an Uzumaki's chakra."

Naruto sat up in a jolt, her eyes sparkling again, "That means I can do it by myself―"  
"No, that's impossible now since too much time has passed. The user's chakra must have mixed with yours, and even if it's very little, it makes your chakra useless to this seal's 'security.'" Naruto glared at him in accusation. "Hey, it's not my fault; something went wrong on a _mission,_ and I can't just up and leave, can I?" He bopped her head. "Back on topic, we can't use your chakra anymore."

"Wait," Naruto blinked, brows furrowing, "So… In other words, I have to find another Uzumaki and use their chakra?"

"Yes, and the only person we can count on now is―"

"My mom." The girl clenched her jaw. "So I need to show this and the jinchuuriki seal to her?"

* * *

The two rushed to the Hokage, hoping to reach the office before Naruto's parents do. Luckily, they arrived roughly fifteen minutes earlier than their meeting with the village leader was. They knocked first before entering, and Hiruzen looked up in surprise.

Jiraiya promptly told him what he discovered, and the older man nodded. "I was planning on letting her find out about Naruto's status as a time traveler anyways," the Hokage said, sighing as he leaned back on his chair.

The girl blinked, "What?"

"You both need to learn how to control the Kyuubi, isn't that right?" Realization dawned to her, and Naruto nodded reluctantly. "Then you two should help each other."

Jiraiya rubbed the back of his neck, "That's true. But how can she help?" He stared down at the blonde, one eye twitching. "She's a little runt now. Can't hurt a fly, can she?"

"What the―getting you a gender change is the least I can do, you perverted―"

Hiruzen coughed into his hand. "Physically, yes, Naruto isn't capable of attacking a demon. However, her mental state is an entirely different matter."

"Yeah!" Naruto glared. "Though I look like this, I'm still my sixteen year old self in my head!"

"So she'll be able to get Kushina to remove the enemy's seal and gain full control of the Kyuubi."

Naruto nodded. A moment passed before a troubled expression crossed her face, and it didn't go unnoticed by the two other occupants of the room. "Naruto?" Jiraiya raised a brow, waiting for her to respond.

"It hasn't crossed my mind with all that happened recently, but…" She sighed, combing a hand through her bangs. "Ever since Kyuubi first said what he thought was going on with the seal the Uzushio kunoichi hit me with, he hasn't said a word to me."

Naruto frowned, and looked up when she noticed Jiraiya had walked to the desk and leant against it. "I'm guessing the reason why is that the seal keeping him in got stronger since I'm back to being five again, so I I'll have some problems trying to talk to him." She paused for a moment. "And… how are my mother and I going to enter each other's mindscapes?"

"Fuuinjutsu, remember?" Jiraiya chuckled, "I thought you were proficient in seals?"  
"I'm getting rusty. Besides," Naruto scowled in annoyance, "you didn't teach me all that much about it."  
"I was your teacher?"

"You were my mentor, I was your apprentice." She rolled her eyes, "But to be honest, it was more like the other way round."

"What are you talking about?" The two had clearly forgotten the Hokage; Jiraiya being outraged and Naruto being too amused.

"You made my little Gama-chan wallet flat! Any little coin I feed it goes straight in your hands!"

"You're exaggerating―"

"Enough!" The Hokage exasperatedly put a stop to their short-lived argument. "Naruto, you'll have more than enough time to tell Jiraiya all about your life in the mission; it will last a couple of months, after all."

"Right…"

"And Jiraiya, I expect you to brush her up on fuuinjutsu. Understand?"

The man shrugged. "Yes, Sensei."

* * *

"I thought she told you two before." Hiruzen said as he sighed, sipping some of his cold tea. Minato's eyes flicked over to Kushina's, before he gazed down to the sitting Hokage. "I should have known she'd lie and leave the most troublesome things to me," the aging man grumbled. His eyes sharpened then, the atmosphere growing even more sober and tense as the couple waited for him to speak.

The Sarutobi weaved his hands together to his mouth, eyes watching their faces. "Kushina will be accompanying Naruto and Jiraiya on a mission in Rain."

Minato tensed visibly, eyes narrowing. "Naruto? She's still―"

"Yes, I do realize that she's still a student of the academy," the Hokage turned over to the shocked woman, "but she's much needed. And about that girl's safety, Kushina and Jiraiya will be more than enough."

The blond balled his hands to fists. "I know they're strong, however―" He bit back from continuing, remembering that this was their village leader. His brows knit closer together anxiously as he delved deeper into his worries and thoughts, forcing Kushina to try to calm his nerves.

She only brought her hand to his arm soothingly, and though that action was small, it was meaningful. Eyes of deep blue shone in determination as they looked up at him, strengthening her words.

"Minato, I wouldn't let anything happen to our daughter, you hear me?" He nodded, and regret reflected in his eyes for inadvertently doubting his girlfriend's abilities. Kushina smiled forgivingly, bringing her hand down to squeeze his larger one. "Don't worry, Jiraiya will also be with us, remember? He would see to it that a maiden's wellbeing is at its finest."

* * *

The meeting carried on for a while longer, until they were dismissed at sunset. The couple walked hand in hand down the streets, Minato watched Kushina with a fond smile even as she talked about the most insignificant of things. He watched the way her fiery red hair sway gently in the breeze, the way her eyes reflect the warm colors of the slowly setting sun and the now lit lanterns around them.

"Hey, Minato?"

"Hm?" He noticed her gaze was elsewhere and followed it. His eyes found an accessory shop.

"Mind if we go take a look…?"  
He chuckled, giving her hand a light squeeze. "You know I won't. Let's see what they have."  
The hair ornaments were stunning, and the man could see sparkles in her eyes as Kushina marveled at them. With a smile, he picked up the one she had been watching so keenly. "Do you like this?"

The piece was small, simple yet beautiful hairclip. The ornament was a sapphire gem embedded in the front of the silver pin, and upon closer inspection a word had been engraved on the metal piece. She tipped her head down in answer to his question.

_Happiness._

She smiled up at him, "At first, it reminded me of your eyes, but after a while I thought Naruto's blue, doe-like eyes suit it better!"

"I guess you're right. It'll be nice to buy it for her," he leaned slightly towards the display table and shifted his head to see his girlfriend, "what about you?"

"Hmm?" She grinned, "Well, why don't you pick for me?"

"Kushina…" He whined, "You know very well how bad my sense of style is."  
"Hey, I want _you _to choose, so that's fine, isn't it?"

"Alright, alright…" His blue eyes nervously looked around for something that would suit her tastes and match her red hair.

"Hey there, dear customers!" A cheerful teen girl, most likely sixteen, smiled at them. "We not only have hair accessories, but necklaces, bracelets, and anklets!"

Kushina hummed, her index finger tapping her chin thoughtfully, "I've always been wanting for a new bracelet."  
The teen grinned as she pushed out a smaller display table, and on top of it was crowded with beautiful bracelets. Some were colorful beads or shells, simple bangles most likely coated with gold and silver, and the one that caught Minato's eye the most was a charm bracelet.

The charm bracelet had both a sapphire and scarlet gem linked on the chains. In between those two was a silver heart, like the shape of the link attaching it to the bracelet. Minato shifted slightly to see if Kushina had her eyes on it as well, and sure enough, she was mesmerized by it.

The girl giggled, "That suits you two perfectly, I think!"

"Then it's settled," Minato said, a soft grin on his face. He dug out some ryo for the bracelet, "I'm choosing this one for you, Kushina!"

The red-haired woman beamed up at her boyfriend.

"Welcome home," Naruto smiled warily at her parents, before cocking her head to the side at her mother. "You seem really happy; did something good happen?" She thought she was going to get questioned and scolded for accepting the "mission."

Kushina merely grinned goofily, and Naruto took notice of the charm bracelet on her left wrist. "Woah, that's pretty!"

"Right?" The lady draped an arm around Minato's shoulders, "We also bought a little something for you, too, Naruto!" When Kushina whipped out a small pink packet, Naruto instinctively caught it.

Minato smiled, "It's a hairclip, so it won't get in the way or damaged during training and missions." His face grew a little sober then. "Speaking of missions―"

"We'll talk it over dinner, alright?" Kushina quickly cut him off as she watched Naruto open the small gift and stared at the pin in awe.

"Right…"

"Hey, Kaa-chan, Tou-chan, may I put this on now?"

"Of course! Why do you have to ask?" The mother grinned, pushing the girl to the bathroom where the mirrors were. "Come on, I'll put it on for you!"

Sighing, Minato went to the kitchen and prepared to cook their meal.

* * *

Sat on Minato's lap, Naruto fingered her bandage wrap on her forehead, brows furrowed in thought. Both parents noticing her agitation, they frowned. "What's the matter, Naruto?" Kushina asked, scooting down from the sofa and crouched in front of them.

_Jijii told me that they wouldn't know it… but what if they did? _Shaking her head, she smiled, "I'm just a little upset that I have to keep this thing on longer since the scratch got an infection before or something." She curled her lips down in disgust, "the scar looks bad."

"I see." Kushina cradled the girl's face with her hands, smiling in pity. "Make sure to wash that wound properly, alright?"

"Mhm!"

Minato had a bemused frown. "But that is odd. It's been… how many months was it? Five or six months?"

"That's about it…" Naruto grinned, though inwardly she was weeping. Time sure flies by quickly… She loved every second she had with her mother and father; can't time go by _slower?_

* * *

Naruto smiled a small smile as her mother tucked her in bed. "Tou-chan… was angry before, wasn't he?"

"No," Kushina smiled back at her as she got down from the chair and knelt on the floor. She rested her chin on her palm, leaning onto the bed. "He's just a little upset that he wasn't allowed to know more about the mission since it's, well, classified."

"Okay," The girl yawned, turning over on her stomach folding her arms under her head and on the pillow. "Kaa-chan?"

"Yes?"

Naruto pursed her lips for a moment, hesitating, until she shook her head. "It's nothing."  
Her brow rose, but Kushina didn't press on. "Alright then." She sighed with a smile. "But remember that you can always talk to me about anything, alright?"

"Yeah… thank you, Mama."

Kushina could tell that Naruto was slipping away into dreamland, and so she soundlessly waited for her to sleep. Once the girl's breathing became heavier, the mother gently pulled the blanket up and combed her fingers gently through the girl's bangs.

A frown settled on Kushina's face at the sight of the dark crimson mark on her forehead. Sighing, the woman got up, stretching her legs lightly. She stared at the girl's sleeping face, and a sad smile reached the Uzumaki's lips.

"I wonder when the day will come when you tell us what's clouding your mind, Naruto."

* * *

"Naruto won't be here for the next couple of weeks, so when she comes back make sure to help her with what you've learnt while she was gone." The teacher said with a forced smile, stacking up his papers.

"Hai, Sensei," the students chorused. Kakashi glared down at his notes. Today, Naruto was only preparing for her _mission. _He was glad that she wasn't boasting about it and a little unnerved since that was unlike her.

Huffing, he scratched more writing into his book angrily, a heavy scowl set on his face.

What was so different about a stupid girl like her (and he refused to acknowledge that she _was _pretty skilled in the ninja arts)? He was just as, if not more, talented, so why was _Naruto _getting all the special treatment?

Kakashi let out a harsh sigh that was muffled by his mask and set his pencil down. He glared at the window, resting his cheek on his palm.

In his head, he listed off the bad points of the girl (with the teacher's boring words completely hovering over his head, of course); the idiot was too loud, that was one, _very _annoying aspect of her. Two, she ate ramen too much. Three, she kept praising ramen too much. Three, she constantly boasted about her cup ramen stack―

He realized that the more he thought about her, the more agitated and annoyed he got.

So Kakashi settled on pondering what he _lacked._

One thing the boy learnt full well, Naruto was a chakra _and _stamina powerhouse. Her punches and hits after a few training sessions (she most likely worked on it) got _much _stronger as well.

As much as he hated to admit it, she had the perfect qualities as a shinobi. And, like a kid being envious of the toy another kid got, Kakashi wanted those qualities.

It wasn't like he was incompetent for his age. _No, _it was the complete_ opposite_, and he was proud of that until _she _came along. His chakra was enough for maybe an average twelve year old, but Naruto, _Naruto _now had probably as much as an average _chuunin's _chakra. What made Kakashi feel worse about it was that she had originally as much chakra as he did now; she had worked harder than him for it, even going as far as to sneak out at night to train.

Unexplainable emotions that irritatingly clouded up in his chest were new to him. It grew stronger at the memory of his father ruffling Naruto's hair proudly after she managed to complete an exceptionally hard training method. Kakashi had to fight back the urge to march over and pull Naruto away from him, and when he and Sakumo got home, the boy would always go to the shower, not speaking a word.

And, _all because of Naruto, _he and his father's relationship wasn't going too well. Sakumo _had _tried, talking to him over dinner about how his day was, but Kakashi was too irritated from their training sessions too say anything other than 'it's going fine, Father.' The man never stopped asking, but it was obvious he knew the answer every time.

Eventually through his thinking, Kakashi wondered on a question.

He tried squashing and stuffing it away in the farthest back of his mind, but the thought kept drifting its way back up.

What if he _told _Naruto what was happening?

How it was all her fault for being…well, just _there. _That if she hadn't come to Konohagakure, everything would have gone all smoothly.

That she shouldn't be here.

She didn't _belong _here. Everything wasn't making sense with her being here.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the last class of the day. He got up from his chair, shoved his books in his bag, and left the room.

What if he told her, Namikaze Naruto, that she was an outsider?

* * *

Naruto packed the last of her kunai in her bag and zipped it up before throwing it on her shoulders. She walked away from her bed to her shelf. On it, other than the books and scrolls lays the clip she had gotten from her parents and a hitai-ate—her forehead protector. She smiled at the black straps tucked underneath the scratched and chipped metal. Picking it up, she tied it around her forehead, nostalgia wafting over her at the feel of the cloth behind the cold plate. Sighing, she took the pin and went to the mirror hung on her wall.

Clipping it on to hold her bangs to the right side, much like her mother, Naruto grinned  
at its reflection. The sapphire was absolutely beautiful, and she loved the little word engraved on it.

Her old (or future in this case) clothes had been tucked in a drawer for when she's old enough to fit in them. As much as she missed the orange and black outfit, it wasn't the time to wear them yet. But that didn't mean wearing something similar, did it?

She and her mother had gone shopping for appropriate clothing; their destination was _Rain, _after all. She had gotten a black, waterproof jacket with a hood suited for shinobi, which had hidden pockets inside that was for packing kunai and shuriken—so the weapons wouldn't be able to tear its way out of the cloth—so it would be a good idea to keep it unzipped during fights in case.

Underneath she wore a normal dark red shirt. There were no patterns on it, except for the black lined spiral on the back. Naruto wore shorts that were black like her jacket, but she folded the ends; the reverse side of the clothing was orange, something Naruto had loved. For her feet she wore the standard blue ninja sandals.

Kushina's voice came from her open door, and she guessed that her mother was in the entrance hall. "Naruto, are you ready? Jiraiya-sama's here!"

"Hai!" She jumped slightly to adjust the bag's straps on her shoulders, before running out.

* * *

Kushina stared at her daughter in concern as they prepared their beds on the grass. Usually a little girl her age would be scared during the first night of their first mission. It was then she remembered that Naruto might have camped around before with her old sensei.

She sighed, shaking her head. She needed to hurry—night would be coming soon, and they still had to prepare their dinners while there was still some of the sun's light. _I hope it won't suddenly rain… getting tents out is such a pain. _Kushina grinned at her thought, _I rhymed!_

Jiraiya nodded at their camp site; the sleeping bags were done, food out, traps set. "Alright, I guess we should start planning on guarding shifts."

"Actually," Naruto said, a proud grin on her face, "I have been practicing a way to make that easier!"

"Oh?"  
"Yup! I've been making a clone and made it sat still while I slept at night for a week. The longest it can last now is about—" then, her grin turned smug, "—five hours!"

Kushina's brows were raised, "Amazing," she praised before glaring, "but you're not supposed to train when it's time for you to sleep!"

"But…"  
Jiraiya sighed, waving a hand dismissively, "She'll live even without a few hours of sleep." He then turned to the little girl. "How long did it last on  
the first night?"

"Roughly thirty minutes." Naruto smirked, "How's that?"

"Great improvement. That method _would _be highly useful for this mission."

"Right? Right? I'm amazing!" The blonde had a goofy grin on her face, "You gotta teach me some awesome seals, Ero-sennin!"  
"What—you brat! Call me Jiraiya-_sama!_" Nostalgia wept over her, making Naruto's grin widen even further.

"Ero-sennin, Ero-sennin!" She stuck her tongue out, "Pervy Sage!"

Kushina scoffed. "_Now _you act your age?" she muttered with an amused smile on her face. She shook her head and stretched. "Well, I'm going to check around, so you two plan the mission out."

Jiraiya and Naruto nodded, watching as the woman walked off. "When should we show her that seal?" Jiraiya said, pretending not to notice the quick change on the blonde's expression. Her grin swept off, replaced by a blank look.

"Of course as soon as possible," she replied, placing a kunai under her pillow. "Then I can finally take this mark off my forehead."

"Does it bother you?"

"Hm? Oh, no, not really." She sighed, lying down on her sleeping bag. "It just makes my mind fuzzy when I try to remember my important memories."

Jiraiya raised a brow, "Have you consulted the Hokage about that?"

"Yep, he says it's because the seal takes extra care to the ones I remember the most vividly, as if I was there."

"Is that so? I never heard of a seal like that before."

"It seems like it's an ancient one."

"Ah, no wonder," Jiraiya rubbed the back of his neck, "I'm not very knowledgeable in ancient fuuinjutsu."

"Say, when can I get a toad contract?"

"When are you going to tell me about your life?"

"When I get a toad contract."

Jiraiya huffed, before he started going off to his own sleeping bag.

"I mastered the Sage mode when I was sixteen, so shouldn't it be natural to want to try mastering it at an earlier age?"

Her words made him stop in his tracks. Mastered? The Sage mode? When she was sixteen? His mind was in jumbles. "What?"

"You heard me," she smirked, "I _mastered_ Sage mode when I was _sixteen._"

He massaged the bridge of his nose, "Even so, it's much too early for you at your current age. Your mental state may be seventeen or something, but right now you're a five year old _child._"

"What! But—"

He drew his index finger to his mouth, silencing her. "Your mother's coming."  
"We never did plan the mission yet."

Kushina heard her, and set her hands on her hips, "You haven't?" She huffed, "Honestly… did you two bicker again?"

"Something like that," Jiraiya sighed. "Well, I believe we should start heading to Rain immediately. Now that I think about it, you haven't really been told the details of the mission, have you?"  
"Yes!" She hissed, crossing her arms over her chest, "All I've been told is that we're heading to Ame to stop an ambush!"  
"We're stopping Hanzo from abushing Akatsuki, an organization that has been gaining power in Rain. Hanzo fears that the people will choose Akatsuki over himself as the ruler," Naruto said smoothly. Kushina blinked, surprised that she can understand all that before remembering the girl's abnormally high IQ.

She nodded, taking in the information, "So we're going to stop that from happening? Did the group Akatsuki request our help?"

Jiraiya answered this time. "No, we're going there on our own accord." He sighed, rolling his shoulders. "We're not sure how much money we'll get from this mission, but it would definitely give Konoha and Ame a better relationship. Hanzo's recently getting a bad reputation, after all."  
"I see… So what's so important that an academy student has to come? And me? Surely there are stronger ninjas in the village."

"The reason, Kushina, is a seal. Naruto, show her now."  
When naruto rolled up her jacket and shirt, the glowing seal made the mother's eyes widen in shock. They widened even further when she realized that there were not one, but _two _seals. Not only that, but underneath the second seal, was one she would have least expected.

With horror, Kushina realized that the first seal was the Hakke Fuuin.

The ultimate seal used for the Nine Tailed Fox.

* * *

Well, I _believe _the Hakke Fuuin is the ultimate seal... I think they mentioned that somewhere in cannon.

AND I'M SORRY FOR UPDATING SO LATE AGAIN. I had a small case of writer's block (not because I've lost interest in this story, but because I couldn't type without wondering, 'would this sentence be too boring?'

GAH!

And... well, I heard that there was a rule where we can't reply to the reviewers individually... was I wrong? I don't know T-T Anyways, thanks for the reviews! There was a lot for the last chapter O.O Maybe it's because I hadn't updated for so long... Sorry again.

Well, I'm thinking of updating every Saturday, but I'm still not sure (I don't get along very well with this guy called 'Schedule'), but I'll at least try to post up a new chaper within a week. I'LL TRY!

Response to my dear reviewers TvT I'm gonna reply individually this time! Screw the rules (that might not even exist)!

Guest: Yes, I believe I made Minato and Kushina accept Naruto too fast, and I'm sorry for that. I can't change it, but I'll keep that in mind for future story ideas. By the way, I made Naruto their child like in cannon becaues I think it would be much sweeter to write :3 And I think they need more family scenes. If Naruto and Minato had a sister-brother relationship, Kushina would be left out of the loop... or something.

SleepyPuppy: Well, I'm not going to spoil the rest of this fanfic, but I'll at least say this: I'm going to keep as much of the cannon's setting as I can (of course, I'll have big changes to it though). Thanks!

qxonewip: yes, Naruto and Kakashi will be 'together', but that would be quite a long way off... sorry. I'll have some fluffy moments though (my friend's also gotten into fanfiction, and has _tons _of well done fluff. I'm getting jealous) xD

sora tsuiki: Reading through my story again, I realized that I didn't mention the seal on Naruto's forehead as much as I should have. Sorry about that ^^" I planned on keeping Naruto's feelings about Jiraiya's return covered slightly. I have a reason for that. Jiraiya doesn't know how close they were, and to make the situation less uncomfortable for him Naruto's acting all cheerful and happy. I was gonna explain that later on when she reveals everything to him, but I guess it was a little too much ^^" I love reviews, and the fact that you wrote so much makes me happy! Thanks for writing reviews for all the chapters!

A Happy Reviewer: I'm glad you're happy! Thanks for the compliments TvT Yeah, I found keeping the characters non-OOC a little hard (the reactions and stuff). Sorry this chapter wasn't as long as the last one, but I'll try making the next one much longer (no promises though)! Thank you again!

wolf girl811: Naruto's jinchuuriki seal is still strong, though slightly weaker than the cannon Naruto's seal when he was five, so there'll be little interaction between Naruto and Kyuubi. You'll see him a little in the next chapter, I think :) Thank you!

Prescripto13: Thank you for your reviews! I'm glad you liked that scene :)

Ell Roche: Yay! I was hoping for someone to understand her feelings (though I think I should have explained them more clearly)! Thanks!

XxBishxX: Thank you! xD

From now on, I'll try to respond to all the reviews! Thank you! m(_ _)m


	7. Chapter Six

"I'm home—Oh, right…" Minato's happy mood went down the drain as face drooped. "They're off on a mission without me."

He ruffled up his blond hair and huffed. Throwing himself on the couch and landing on his stomach, he shoved his head in a square shaped pillow and groaned.

It was so lonely without those two's usual chattering and laughs. And this was going to continue for, at most, two _months_?

By the time they're back, he'd be dead from severe depression.

He whipped his head up Imagining himself with hollow cheeks, panda eyes, white hair and skin, and sticks as limbs made goose-bumps all over Minato's skin.

Mouth opening and closing with eyes wide with terror, the man mentally screamed.

"Kushina… Naruto…"

* * *

"And that's what's making me like this!" Minato had been hanging onto Sakumo's back pathetically and seemed to take no notice of the little boy nearby and his eye twitching. "Save me, Sempai! I don't want to be a zombie!"

"What… even if you confront me about it…" A light bulb seemed to flicker in the silver haired man's head as he stared down at his son. "How about staying over at our place? You can stay as long as you want to until they come back."

"Wait, Father, that's—"

"Really? You're awesome! The best sempai in the world!"

Sakumo chuckled. Having Minato at their apartment would light the place up a bit, especially their meals. "Your family not being here sure changes you, huh? I thought you decided on being tough the moment you step out of your house."

"Yeah, but…"

Kakashi huffed, flopping down on the ground and plucking out some grass leaves. Who was this guy? Naruto's father? Did she come to Konoha with her family?

He groaned at the thought of the blond man staying at his home.

* * *

"Naruto…?" Kushina's voice shook, turning her head to Jiraiya. "Oi, this isn't funny. What kind of sick prank is this—"

"That seal is real," he said, face unrevealing. "Naruto is here because of a jutsu Kabuto, the future Orochimaru's apprentice, used on a dead Whirlpool kunoichi. He, using that technique, made her cast a seal that reduces the victim to a much younger age."

Naruto spoke this time. "I panicked, and used my dad's technique to teleport away. But the Hiraishin seal mixed with that kunoichi's seal, which is how I ended up in this time."

"That's not… That can't be!" Kushina's deep blue eyes had moistened, tears ready to fall. "I mean... does Minato know about this? Who else knows?"

"Us three," Naruto answered, "and the Hokage. Tou-chan doesn't know about me time traveling."  
"So we—Minato and I—are really your parents?" Naruto grinned.

"Yeah!"

Her eyes widened when Kushina kneeled down and hugged her tightly. Jiraiya watched the scene silently, eyes softening as the woman's tears streamed endlessly down her cheeks. She whispered her daughter's name repeatedly, hiccupping and sniffling. "Did we—Did we put that on you?"

Naruto smiled a small smile, both eyes and nose stinging. She reached up her mother's back to clutch her clothes, vision becoming blurry with tears. Soundlessly, she listened as Kushina tried to form coherent words, apologizing for the jinchuuriki seal Naruto had. Naruto only hung tighter onto her mother, pain increasing as the woman went on with her apology.

"It's not Tou-chan or your fault, it's another man's. You both couldn't have done anything about it because it was too sudden." Speaking seemed to dissolve her will to refrain from crying, and she let out sobs. Her cry seemed to contain all the emotions she felt from meeting everyone again, the Sandaime, Jiraiya, her father and mother.

The utter joy she felt in seeing the old man alive, seated in his desk, and occasionally with the pipe in his mouth when he's on a break. The urge to cry at the pure nostalgia she felt from seeing Jiraiya, the pervert she grew to love like a father, peaking through a hole in the wooden wall fence at the women's bathhouse. The tightness she felt in her throat and wanting to cling onto them when she saw her parents at the door, welcoming her home.

Everything flowed out violently in her tears as Naruto dug her face into her mother's shoulder.

* * *

Jiraiya sighed, watching the mother and daughter sleep with a smile. He and Naruto had decided on telling Kushina about the seal tomorrow, seeing as the woman was most likely exhausted. Those two hadn't stopped crying, and when they finally did, they were too tired to take watch, so they decided on using chakra sensing seals and spread them around the camp.

He yawned; he had been awake until a few hours past midnight since the seal only works for roughly five to six hours.

Checking for chakra signatures around one last time, he stood up and stretched, walking to the seal on his bag. He picked it up, drew his chakra into it, and watched as the complicated characters climbed up from the tip of his finger to around his wrist. It should spark chakra when someone enters within the range of the other seals, waking him up from his sleep.

Letting out a sigh of relief when he finally lied down inside his sleeping bag, he gratefully thanked whoever created the art of seals, and succumbed to exhaustion.

* * *

Kakashi glared at his cooked salmon, and stabbed it with his chopsticks, imagining it was the blond man seated in front of him. His father was chuckling at Minato's story, and the little boy couldn't figure out _what_ was so funny.

Kakashi continued picking at his food.

Sakumo notices this and frowns. "Don't do that." The boy stops, and he raises a brow. The man had never seen Kakashi play with his meal before. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Kakashi said curtly before gulping down his miso soup.

Minato smiled, "Thanks for being Naruto's friend, Kakashi-kun."  
He blinked, looked down at his rice and nodded. So he really _was _Naruto's father.

"Are you going to do the Graduation Exams?" Minato asked pleasantly, and he was answered with, again, another nod. He grinned; the little boy was cute. "I see. What do you want your team sensei to be like?"

Kakashi thought on his question. "Smart, strong, calm."

Minato hummed thoughtfully, before staring at Sakumo, who sat next to the boy. "His description fits you."  
"And you," Sakumo said, smiling, "mostly during missions though; the calm part."

"Hey! I'm calm when I want to be."

"It makes me wonder if you and Kushina swapped personalities." Sakumo chuckled, "I remember the days when she used to be brash and loud. Now she's all grown up."

"She's still brash."

Kakashi looked between the two, brows furrowed in confusion. "Are you and Father good friends?" He asked Minato, who simply grinned.

"He's my sempai from the academy, and my girlfriend, Kushina, she's…"

"She's one of your mother's best friends," Sakumo ended for him when the blond trailed off, smiling at the boy's wide eyes. "Don't you remember them, Kakashi? Minato and the red-haired lady?" Kakashi frowned, shaking his head before taking a bite of his cooked fish. He was about to eat another, but paused. "I remember. She used to draw with me," although he never quite understood what she drew―She wasn't very good at drawing.

Sakumo nodded, "She's Kushina. She hung around our house quite often to see your mother and play with you."

"I was only around a few times with your father, since most of the time we'd be on missions, so I guess you wouldn't remember me." Minato smiled before he thought for a moment. "You and Kushina got on rather well; I remember we all went to the swings at the playground with Mikoto. Do you remember her? She has black hair and eyes."

Kakashi nodded, recalling that he had played with her and Kushina-san when he was younger. He loved swinging then, but now he didn't see how he found it entertaining. He ate a piece of eggplant from his soup. "She used to hum a lot of songs with Mother." Kakashi ignored how his chest seemed to constrict with each tick of the clock, and stuffed more food down his throat. Using his chopsticks, he ate all the rice left in his bowl, leaving none left, before setting both down. "Gochisousama. May I leave the table?"  
At Sakumo's nod, Kakashi picked up his dishes and brought them to the kitchen. When he got out, he went straight to his room.

Minato smiled sadly as he watched the boy's back, and faced Sakumo when the bedroom's door closed. "He really changed, huh?"  
"Sorry about that," Sakumo sighed, "I really wish he would open up more."

The Namikaze shook his head, "It's been tough on him. Sorry about suddenly mentioning her when it's still—"

"No, it's alright." Sakumo took the last bite of his fish and rice. "It's about time we moved on. Not forget, but be able to talk about her happily. She would have wanted that."

Minato smiled, before picking up his plate and bowls. "It's about time we finished dinner, don't you think, Sempai?" He grinned, "Kakashi still has his sweet tooth doesn't he?"

Sakumo chuckled, stacking his dishes as well. "Yes, he does."

"Great! Strawberry shortcakes for dessert!"

* * *

They had changed into civilian clothes and entered a small village to find a place to rest. The three bought groceries and stayed at an inn, and Kushina made more rice balls for their trip. Once they were settled, the three sat down facing each other on their futons.

"Alright, it's about time we discussed why you're on this mission, Kushina." Jiraiya sighed, "Initially it was because the Hokage planned on letting you help each other tame the Nine Tails, to put it frankly. But now we have another reason why we need you right now."

Naruto caught Kushina's attention by rolling up her shirt, revealing her two seals. "On the second seal, there's a lock that stops me from destroying it. I need your chakra to get rid of it, since mine is already affected by the caster of the jutsu."

Kushina nodded, crawling over. "Where is it?"

Naruto pointed at it, and the woman immediately put the tip of her finger on the swirl mark. She drew her chakra to it, and felt the mark heat up to the point it almost burnt.

When Kushina brought her hand down, Naruto grinned; the swirl had disappeared.

Jiraiya chuckled as he got out a blank scroll, "Finally. Okay, it will take a few moments, so be patient, Naruto." He placed his right palm on her stomach and narrowed his eyes in concentration.

The seal slowly contracted, squeezing itself into an inky black circle before it was sucked onto Jiraiya's hand. He immediately slammed it onto the scroll while Kushina and Naruto watched in fascination as the seal spread back into its former self.

The blonde's eyes were full of awe; it had been a long time since she last did or saw someone do this.

"There, it's done," Jiraiya said with a sigh. Naruto blinked.

She took a moment to take in his words, "That was over and done with so easily that it's weird."

"Huh?" The man scoffed. "It was easy for _you _since you didn't have to do anything, but for me it took a little effort."

"You're getting a little rusty," she retorted, "It was a piece of cake when I move a seal."

Jiraiya scowled, "If you haven't realized, this is an ancient, complicated seal, not an ordinary one."

"Yeah, yeah…"

Kushina sighed at their antics, "Well, at least the problem's solved." She frowned, "If the seal was still on you what would have happened?"

Naruto blinked at her question, "Oh, I would have died within a year." Oblivious to her mother's horrified face, she flopped back onto her fluffy futon with a content sigh. "With that gone, I can think of plans on how to save the world in peace!"

Jiraiya rolled his eyes, and Kushina recovered from her thoughts of what if she hadn't been able to unlock the seal or if Jiraiya had failed. Naruto yawned loudly, eyes opening and closing droopily, "For some reason… I'm starting to feel really sleepy…"  
The girl was knocked out within five seconds, and Jiraiya blinked, "She must have been a lot more stressed about it than I thought."

"She can hide a lot of how she feels, after all. Her masks are very strong." Kushina smiled regretfully, "Almost makes one wonder how she learnt to make them that way."

"Like she said before, it's not your fault or Minato's. Besides, we'll be able to stop that from happening again with her here." Jiraiya stood up, and walked until he stood next to her. He put his hand on top of her head comfortingly, "Don't think too much on it."

"Yeah, thanks, Jiraiya-sama." Kushina finally grinned.

"You're welcome."

"For a pervert, you're an awesome guy at making people feel better."

"Of course," Jiraiya bit his thumb, grinning mischievously. "I'm a _super _pervert after all!"

"You're unbelievable—Wait, why're you summoning a kuchiyose for?"

"Hm? Oh, just to send this away," He waved the closed scroll containing the seal, before tossing it to Fukasaku. "It's been a while, Fukasaku-sama!"

"Tell me, Jiraiya-chan, are you using the way you address me to make up for your actions?" The toad asked, catching the scroll that was the same size as him with ease. Jiraiya rubbed the back of his head with a goofy grin. "And yes, it's been a while. Oh, hello there, Kushina-chan. How are you?"  
"Could be better, Fukasaku-sama," she replied sheepishly, before smirking, "You haven't changed a bit!"  
"I guess I haven't," he chuckled, before leaping to the sleeping girl. He stared, before blinking, as if having come out from his daze. "This child… is she yours, Kushina-chan? She looks an awful lot like you and Minato-chan."  
"Oh, it's a little complicated, but yes, she is! Don't tell Minato, though. He doesn't know the situation, and..." Kushina stopped herself from rambling with a light blush of embarassment. "Um, Naruto's her name."  
Fukasaku furrowed his brows, "Naruto…chan?" Kushina cocked her head to the side, a worried but confused expression on her face.

"Is there something wrong?"

"No, there isn't, but…" _have I met her before?_

Jiraiya watched Fukasaku's reaction to the blonde girl carefully. The smile on his face was gone, now being replaced with seriousness as he slowly brought his hand down back to his side.

* * *

"Hey, hey, Kakashi, where's Naruto?" Mika asked, obviously bored as she crouched and leaned against said boy's desk. Shizuka got her book and tapped the girl's head with it, and Mika got the message. She huffed, and sat on Naruto's desk, chomping on her bread.

Kakashi, who was resting his cheek on his palm, looked at her in annoyance before going back to his book. "How would I know?" All he knew was that she was off on a mission. Just the mention of her name had him irritated.

"Gah! You're no fun."  
Shizuka smacked the orange haired girl on the back of her head, rolling her eyes, before she glanced at the book in Kakashi's hand. "Ah, _Legend of a Gutsy Ninja_? Did Naruto show you that one?" She had a small smile on her face, "She was the one who showed me it. I found that book interesting."

Mika blinked, before wrinkling her nose. "You talk a lot _only _when the conversation is related to books!"

"What are you whining about this time, Mika?" Genma walked up to them, raising a brow.

"Genma!" Mika threw herself on him, wailing. "Shizuka loves _books _over _Mika, _isn't she too cruel?"

"I thought you've realized that a long time ago already."

"Genma!" She cried pitifully.

Kakashi scowled, and even with the mask they can tell by hearing it in his tone. "You're too loud." The orange haired civilian was _much _too similar to a certain blonde. "Go away."

A nerve threatened to pop as Mika glared, "And _you're_ too much of a brat!" She flicked him on the forehead. Hard.

"You—!" Mika smirked, keeping him from attacking her by holding him down with her hand. Her two friends watched in amusement as Kakashi waved his hands violently at her in vain.

"Oi, Mika, that's enough." Said girl pouted at Genma, before she abruptly let go and stepped back just in time for Kakashi to fall onto his desk.

"But honestly," she started, scowling, "It's so boring without Naruto. I'm getting sick of the pranks Kippei thinks up."

Shizuka rolled her eyes, "Then why listen to him at all?"  
"Eh… Because if I don't I'll be _bored._"

Kakashi frowned at her, before shaking his head. "What a waste of time?" Mika glared, before smirking.

"Oh really? I guess you haven't heard." He stared at her, and she continued. "Pranks are the best way to build up on your stealth."  
"Isn't that just an excuse?"  
Mika's brow twitched, and she averted her gaze. "N-No. I'm telling the truth! I mean, being able to prank a bunch of chuunins is an amazing achievement, isn't it? You can use the stuff you learnt from setting them up on high ranked missions!" Kakashi's ears seem to twitch at the last three words, and Mika knew she hit her mark. Devil horns seem to grow on her head, and she smirked evilly. "Think about it. You can slip right under the enemy's noses if you master the arts of stealth! To reach that point, you need to be _awesome _at doing pranks!"

Shizuka and Genma sighed simultaneously. Mika had recruited another ally.

* * *

_It's a little sad that Naruto isn't around to see this, but oh well. _The orange haired girl, clad in black, smirked as she turns to Kakashi, and then to Kippei. They nod, and she nods back. _Time to put the plan in action!_

She was eternally grateful to Naruto; the little blonde had taught her and Kippei (he had taken quite a while to get it down) how to walk (crawl) on walls. The ceiling in the academy building was high, and no one would suspect people to be hanging from it. The three were using one hand to keep them crouching upside down.

Mika's expression cried hysteria as she got one paint-filled balloon out, the two boys following suit.

The kids shifted in their positions and adjusted their grip on their weapons.

Mika looked down at the bunch of chuunin, obviously having a meeting. They were talking about the schedules. She rolled her eyes at one of them as they said that it would be a good idea to shorten snack breaks.

She grinned, and nodded to her partners.

They sucked in a breath, aimed, and…

…fired.

They kept going, taking out more balloons, fully enjoying the yelps and shouts of their teachers. The adults were too shocked to move for a moment, and the three took advantage of that.

Now the floor and the teachers were a fabulous mix of pink, blue, yellow, and red. Mika grinned.

Now for the final touch.

"Now, Kakashi, Kippei!"

The two boys complied, and the three watched in awe and satisfaction as a whole cloud of glitter sparkled its way down onto the utterly horrified group of chuunin.

"_You brats are so __**dead**__!" _One of them screeched when he finally came to his senses.

"Run, run, run!" Mika laughed, oblivious to _Kakashi's _terrified expression.

Why on _earth _did he agree to this?

"Oh, hold on!" The civilian girl abruptly stopped, whipping out a camera from her bag. "Needa take a picture!"

* * *

"It should be here," Jiraiya said as they reached close to Amegakure's borders.

Naruto and Kushina shared a glance, before the latter asked, "What should?"

"The place we decided on," He replied, "Oh, here he is."

The mother and daughter did a double take when they heard a deep voice behind them.

"This is the map of the village, Jiraiya-sama." The man said. He wore a black coat, and the shadows covered his face completely. His equally black-gloved hand appeared from underneath his coat, holding out a paper.

Jiraiya nodded, "Thank you."

The man bowed his head, before disappearing. Naruto closed her gaping mouth, blinking. "That's—He's your spy?"

"Yes, what did you think?"

"But… he looks like a freaking _ghost._"

Kushina smacked the back of her head. "Don't be rude. He might still be around!"

"Hey, even _you're _not denying it!"

Jiraiya rolled his eyes, "Come on, we should hurry."

Naruto tiptoed to see the map. "Oh hey, it has updates on what's going on!"

"What? Let me see," Kushina nodded, "That's very useful."

"It looks like the ambush hasn't started yet." The girl furrowed her brows and clenched her fists.

Jiraiya ruffled her hair, "Don't worry too much. We'll save them."  
Naruto sighed, and took a deep breath. He was right. Worrying about it wouldn't get her anywhere. She followed them into the village after they written down their aliases, noticing the stares. She shivered, being reminded of unpleasant childhood memories. "Hanzo must be confident if he lets in three possible threats inside the village," she noted, eyeing the guards. They had only turned more rigid at their appearance, but hadn't moved from their spot.

"We're in civilian clothes, and look nothing more than a wandering family. They're probably just dismissing us as people looking for a home," Kushina explained. The three of them wore waterproof coats, wearing their hoods. They sealed their weapons inside small scrolls and hid them inside the hidden pockets of Naruto's jacket.

As expected, one shinobi finally walked up to them, glaring. "Open your bags, and take off your coats."  
They did as told, and the man patted Naruto and Jiraiya's body. He left Kushina alone, seeing as she wasn't wearing anything bulky or loose. Naruto inwardly grinned when he finally stopped; her jacket was thick and puffy, so of course he wouldn't feel the scrolls. While the group wore their coats back on, the guard raised a brow.

"Why are you wearing such hot clothing? It isn't very cold."

Kushina answered for him, smiling pleasantly. "She has a slight fever."

He blinked, before stepped back. "My apologies. You may go. Leave as soon as you're done here." Nodding in thanks, the team rushed to an inn.

They pulled down their hoods once under shelter. The receptionist was an old woman, who smiled at the sight of the blonde little girl. "Good evening. A room for three?" At their nods, she stood up and took a key, a wooden block with the room number attached.

"Here you go."

"Thank you," Jiraiya said, and Naruto grinned up at her as she followed her mother to their room.

Naruto immediately took out a duvet out from the large, built-in cupboard and threw herself on it. "Naruto, make your bed first!" Kushina scolded lightly, hiding a smile.

"But I'm tired!"

Jiraiya stayed quiet for a moment, staring at the blonde with sharp eyes. _As I thought, the seal took a big toll on her._ He frowned, _or maybe her exhaustion could just be because she hadn't gone on a trip outside for a long while. _Naruto was in her five years old body, after all.

"No buts! Come on, I'll help you," the mother sighed, getting out the sheets and mattress.

While they sorted out the futons, Jiraiya studied his map of the village_. _He furrowed his brows, thinking. The organization's goal is world peace, so surely they wouldn't immediately start attacking them when they entered the area. Furthermore, they had a child, so that should lower the Akatsuki's guard.

The Akatsuki headquarters was far from where they were staying, Jiraiya noted with a frown. He then looked for the stations Hanzo or shinobi might be in and the frown morphed into a scowl. There was one, in the way to their path to reach the Akatsuki base. _So we'll have to get around that? _He sighed, running a hand through his white hair, feeling exasperated. They'll take roughly an hour just to get to the organization since they had to walk the speed of an average civilian in order to not arouse suspicion. _"Just great," _he hissed under his breath.

Naruto perked, "What was that, Ero-sennin?"

"I'll tell you later." Jiraiya said, sighing in resignation at the nickname. He'll have to explain to them later, because the mother and daughter were in a particularly good mood. He didn't want to spoil it.

Reading the notes at the side, he smirked. That spy was good.

_Hanzo ruled the civilians using fear, sending ninja around the streets to guard. The Akatsuki are their hope, as news spread quickly that they were founded for the sake of peace. The people hope the Akatsuki will break Hanzo's way of governing and take power._

_Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan, being the founders, are the most high up in the Akatsuki. Yahiko is the official leader, but it seems that Nagato is the leader in the shadows. _

_Information on Hanzo is tightly kept away from the public. I had trouble, but I suspect he has some ties with Danzo-dono. I haven't found solid evidence, but a man who had been dressed as a Root Anbu had been secretly meeting Hanzo. Their next meeting will be in three days from when you will receive this paper._

Jiraiya frowned, _three days? _That would mean the ambush would definitely not happen in three days. _Well, that's perfect for us. _If their talk with the Akatsuki goes well, they could plan something against Hanzo's ambush.

He jumped when a small body dropped onto his back.

"What'cha thinking so hard for, Ero-sennin?" Naruto peered over his shoulder, noticing the crinkled paper. "Oh, the map?"

"Where's Kushina?" Jiraiya asked, looking around the room.

Naruto replied while she read the paper, "She went down to ask for another sheet—we're missing one."  
"I see," Jiraiya sighed, and waved her away. "Shoo. I'll talk about this when she gets back. It's good news."  
"Aw, come on! You can tell me now and I'll tell her for you! _Come oooooon. _Now? No? How about now?"

* * *

_Naruto fluttered her eyes open, dazed by the warmth of the water around her. _"Where am I?"_ Her voice echoed in the sewage-like room, before remembering. _

Odd, _she thought with a frown; why, even if it was only for a moment, couldn't she recall that this was her mindscape?_

_She turned around to face the giant fox behind the bars. She tipped her head in as a small greeting. _

"Long time no see, Furball."

_The demon stayed silent for a while, confusing her. He finally sat up, making himself look much larger than when he was on his stomach. __**"It would be a good idea to take that seal on your forehead off as soon as possible," **__he said, and strangely, there was no malice or a hint of a sneer in his voice._

_Bemused, she furrowed her brows, _"Why?"_ She had almost forgotten about it._

"_**You really haven't noticed?" **_

_She grew impatient. _"Noticed _what_?"

"_**That **_**thing **_**is slowly blurring up the memories you hold dear. You haven't realized this only because you thought it was because of the one that Sage removed!"**_

"What are you _talking_ about?" _Naruto rubbed her temples tiredly, "Ugh, I'm starting to get a headache."  
__**"The Sandaime doesn't know enough about that memory seal. The faster you take it off, the safer your memories will be."**_

_Naruto glared, _"The old geezer knows what he's doing!"

"_**You humans are much too gullible," **__he sneered. __**"That thing only works for a while. A month at most. It would have been longer if you didn't have that seal the Whirlpool kunoichi casted on you."**_

_She widened her eyes. _"What happens after that?"

"_**It accelerates the speed of losing your memories by, well, you could say freezing your spiritual chakra—"**_

"That's what that _thing _was doing?!"

"—**too much**_**. That side effect grew stronger because of the… think of a name to call that damn Uzushio kunoichi seal!"**_

"Oh…" _Naruto blinked, before knitting her brows together in thought. _"Age Sucker?"

"_**To think that that's the best you can come up with…" **_

"Hey, the first name I thought of was Tits Remover, but I figured you would hate that so I chose Age Sucker instead!"

_He scoffed, __**"Very well. The side effect grew stronger because of the **_**Age Sucker, **_**since it weakens your chakra."**_

"Wait, if that forehead seal is freezing my _chakra, _how can I still _think?_"_  
__**"It doesn't actually freeze it so it won't move anymore, you idiot, I meant that it slows your spiritual chakra down drastically, but not to the point you won't be able to think or remember anything!"**_

"Oh…"  
_**"And the reason you probably didn't notice this was because you didn't pay attention in class and already knew what you had to remember. Besides, your memory span is that of a goldfish's."**_

"Goldfish? What the heck are you talking about?" _Apparently, the insult was lost on her. _

**What an idiot, **_he thought with a scowl. **"You should hurry! Your mental form would start to get closer to the age you are now reduced to outside."**_

"Well, that won't be good―"

_**"Of course not, **_**idiot, _because it would remind me everytime you come here that I'm stuck inside a pathetic, weak-looking _brat._"_**

"Alright, alright! All I have to do is take this darn thing off, right?"

"_**Yes, but I doubt—"**_

"Well why didn't you just say so?" _Oblivious to his downright fuming look, she noticed that she was starting to wake up. _"Oh, well, gotta go now, Furball!"  
_Kurama growled irritably, before taking a deep breath. __**"I doubt that that perverted sage or your mother would be able to do anything about it."**_

* * *

Naruto's jaw hung loose, almost snapping off before Kushina slammed it back up. The three were walking in the forest, veiling their chakra to pass off as ordinary civilians. Most likely there would be chakra sensors since they were very close by a station. "Whaddya mean you can't take it off?"  
"I _can't._" He sighed, "That seal's ancient, as the Hokage might have told you, and it's forbidden. I can't have learned it, and neither could Kushina."

"Bu—But! Jijii wouldn't have used it unless it's absolutely—"

"Necessary, I know." Jiraiya raked a hand through his hair, now loose without the metal plate he usually had. "And it was. But he didn't know the side effects like Kyuubi did, and thought it would hold for much longer. There were no other seals that could hold as much as sixteen years of memories, and even if there were they wouldn't have lasted even as long as two weeks."

"No way…" Naruto casted her eyes down in disappointment and kicked a pebble.

"But this is serious," Jiraiya pondered, a worried frown on his face.

For a while, neither of the three spoke. Kushina didn't like the tense atmosphere, and decided to lighten their mood up a bit. "We're lucky that there's no rain, huh?" She said with a smile, "We can just say we're on a walk if we happen to cross paths with ninjas."  
Naruto grinned, appreciating her light talk. "Yeah, they can't say no to that."

And then it was quiet again, the three of them having nothing to say. It stayed that way until they were a small distance away from the station. They eyed the small cement building warily, and only after they were meters away did they start grinning in triumph. The watchers must have thought that no one would be out here on a weekday.

"Don't lower your guard," Jiraiya warned them. "The Akatsuki might see us as a threat. We'll have to uncover our chakra so they'll know we're heading to them, and hopefully they will understand that we come in peace."

_What are we—aliens?_ Naruto thought dryly, but nodded. She never planned on lowering her guard, not for a moment.

By the time they reached the tall, tower, slightly obscured in the dark clouds. If anything, the Akatsuki base looked haunted.

Naruto gulped at the thought of ghosts, praying to her fabulously and amazingly awesome gods that the inside would be different from the out. _After all, you can't judge a book by its cover, right? _Well, she hoped she was right.

She noticed that Kushina and Jiraiya had walked on without her, now ready to open the tall, metal door.

"H-Hey! Wait for me!"

* * *

Kakashi now felt a tiny bit of respect (just a _tiny, tiny bit_) towards Naruto. Doing a prank every week was tough, but that girl would be sure to have _three _done without breaking a sweat.

Now, he, Mika, and the idiot Kippei (though his plans are great, the older boy loved grating on his nerves) were running away from their chuunin teachers after another failed prank.

The adults were absolutely surprised to see the perfect little four year old student participating in something like this. It caught them off guard every time, but the effect was starting to wear off.

So the three children were being chased all around the school.

They reached the staircase, having trouble deciding whether to go up or down. The enemy was closing in, they can hear the fast footsteps from the corridors.

Up? Down?

They snapped their heads to the upper staircase, hearing shouts.

The three immediately decided on going down, skipping a few steps—

―only to bump into one pink-haired, orange clothed, _very _angry chuunin.

Well, at least there prank had been partly successful.

* * *

_If we finish this right, Tobi will never be a part of the Akatsuki. _Naruto clenched her fists at the sight of the young man, _and those three will be saved from their suffering. _Her azure eyes stared back at his Rinnegan with determination. _Nagato will still hope for true peace. _She inhales slowly, _so please… _

"What business do you have here?" He asked, his unwavering, unique eyes watching them. Konan stood not too far behind him, and Yahiko was calmly walking up to them. The three's eyes flickered toward Jiraiya when he came out of the shadows, revealing himself. Nagato had glanced at Kushina's red hair that was similar to his own, before he gazed back down at the blonde, fearless girl in front of him.

…_**let this end well!**_

* * *

I've probably really disappointed a lot of people by ending it there. Sorry about that! I wanted to focus this chapter more on Kakashi and his dad, a little bit of Kakashi's mom, Kushina, Naruto, and Jiraiya... and the pent up emotions Naruto had.

You wouldn't believe how many times I rewrote this chapter. Deleting scenes, adding new ones, deleting those ones, putting back up the previously deleted scenes. GAH. My mind's all scrambled up now.

I've decided updating once every week―1000 words a day multiplied by six, and the last day will be the proofreading bit and editing, then posting.

Well, I'll _work hard _in writing 1000 words a day.

Thanks for the reviews, faves, and follows! Almost a hundred followers now O.O And there was a lot of reviews for the last chapter, too O.O Anyways, thank you very much for the support!

-x-

My reply to you wonderful reviewers! Order is from most recent to oldest reviews since the last update!

Shikuroaka: Thank you! Well, you'll have to wait and see :) Minato _might _be a _little _overprotective... But he would restrain himself for his little girl so no, he won't forbid her to date after her fifty seventh birthday xD Again, thank you! Your review also gave me something to laugh at; the image of a wailing granpa Minato clinging onto fifty seven year old Naruto's leg as she tries to hit him with a pink purse.

Shay Wolfe: Obito and Rin won't appear yet, since they graduated the academy when they were 9 years old. Kakashi and Naruto will graduate when they're five, but don't worry, I don't intend to seperate them from their age group. You'll have to wait and see! :D Thank you for reviewing!

Tsume Yuki: Holy crap―_Thank you so much for reading this!_ And thank you for your praises (I doubt this fic is better than yours! Your ideas and the way you write is awesome!) Gah. I feel like I'm talking to a celebrity xD Thank you (again) for reviewing!

Forever Flower Girl: Have you tried reading _Second Chances_ by Tsume Yuki? xD You'll be surprised. And I totally agree with your Kushina rant. You're absolutely right. But I guess people tend to over look her and focus more on Minato since he was... well, I guess _future Yondaime _in travel fics, and people think of him first over her. Ahh, auto-correct; the destroyer of mankind and their dignity.

Guest: That's what I meant... but now that I ran it through my head a couple times I think I worded it wrong. Guess I should replace 'old' with 'early'. Thanks for pointing that out!

MadImagination: I'm very glad you think so! I was a little worried that I had overdone it (as I said a million times before...)

Prescripto13: Thanks for your fantastical reviews! Hmm, I wonder~ xD

pizzafan123: You're welcome! Thanks for reviewing!

XLucy0117X: Thank you! I'm happy that you're glad about that (one of my biggest worries: keeping characters in... well, character).

sora tsuiki: Thank you for being so understanding (TvT) Don't worry, I'll (hopefully) be updating weekly from now on! Sorry, you'll have to wait for the next chapter to see the Akatsuki... Thank you for telling me what you liked about the chapter―it gives us authors some relief telling us that we're doing _something _right (or that might just be me being a worrywart)!

Soutrick: Thanks! Sorry 'bout that. I felt that that was the best place to stop (I want to keep my roughly 5500 to 6000 words limit ^^").

EIPsyCongroo: This chapter was more focused on Naruto, Kushina, and Jiraiya, sorry ^^" But there'll be more Nagato, Konan and Yahiko scenes in the next chapter, of course! Thank you for your review!

-x-

Please leave a review! Thanks for reading :)


	8. Chapter Seven

Nattō (なっとう or 納豆) is a traditional Japanese food made from soybeans fermented with Bacillus subtilis (Wikipedia). In other words, it's brown beans with some kind of sticky and stretchy… thing. It has a strong smell, slippery texture, and strong flavor. Tastes awesome with rice and sashimi though.

* * *

"What business do you have here?" the man repeated emotionlessly, sharp eyes expecting an answer. He felt more than saw his childhood friends' bemusement, happiness and suspicion towards Jiraiya's sudden appearance, mostly because he had also felt the same. What was the man, their teacher, doing here? After all this time?

The white haired sage grimly gazed back at him. "We're here to save the Akatsuki, Nagato."

"Our organization is not in need of any help." The red haired man's brows drew close in confusion, and the corners of his lips slightly curled down. "Furthermore, if there were any problems, we'd be able to fix it."

"Even if it were a well-planned ambush?" The Akatsuki's attention was caught by the young, blonde girl. Many eyes widened in incredulity at what she was sprouting.

Before anyone could shout in outrage, Yahiko spoke, and Naruto noticed that his voice had some sort of warmth to it compared to the cold, dead flatness she remembered. "What do you mean?"

"Your meeting with Hanzō. It's soon, isn't it?" She asked with a dark look on her face. "I know you have your suspicions, Nagato. He's changed. Hanzō does not wish for peace as much as he did before. The power he had over his village, the power he has to beat his enemies; that all got into his head and changed him thoroughly. He loves his position as ruler of Ame, and knows that this group, Akatsuki, is quickly gaining the people's favor over himself." Naruto's lips curled downwards into a disgusted sneer. "He plans to take it out of the picture using a little help from Danzō. You know who that is, don't you?"

Yahiko's eyes widened and narrowed. He also had his doubts, but how could he believe the words of a little girl? "That may be true, but how would we know if you're not one of his subordinates?" Konan had spoken before him, her eyes angry and accusing. "You three are clearly from Konoha, and Danzō's actions wouldn't threaten your village. In fact, it would benefit it."

Kushina sighed, "This may make Konoha sound rather soft, but we and the Hokage do not wish for another village's suffering. This organization is the hope of Amegakure's peace, and possibly the world's." Yahiko's eyes widened at that. World peace? Naruto stared at him for a moment, which did not go unnoticed by the other two Akatsuki founders, and sighed.

"What Hanzō intends to do is take Konan hostage, and make Nagato kill Yahiko. I'm guessing that it'll end with one of you three dying, and if it was Yahiko, Nagato's idea of peace would be tainted. He'll most likel start believing that world peace can only be obtained by force as the years pass by," most likely charged by Tobi's plan, Naruto didn't say, for the sake of keeping her identity as time traveler a secret. "This may only be a prediction, but I believe it would turn out like this, especially if other people have the same thoughts."

Konan kept her eyes on her. "Introduce yourself."  
Having not expected the command, the girl blinked. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't actually said anything about herself and just got straight to the point. _Oops._ "Uzumaki Naruto," She said, but noticed a another gaze on her. She turned to Nagato and stared back, waiting for him to talk. She noticed how recognition sparked in his eyes at her given name and grinned.

"You," he began slowly, "do not look like an Uzumaki. Your facial features are similar to the woman, who I presume is one from her red hair, though. Who is your father?"

"Namikaze Minato," She sighed, "We prefer not to use his last name for the sake of my safety and my mother's in the future since he'll surely gain more and more fame by then."

Konan still did not look away. Just who was this Naruto? This young girl, who looked no older than four or five years old? If what she had predicted was all thought up on her own, then she would have a lot of potential. If Naruto were to join the Akatsuki when she had grown older, she would make a wonderful addition. Not to mention, the woman can tell that the blonde is a chakra powerhouse. You didn't have to be a chakra-sensor to realize that.

Jiraiya watched his three old students with a hidden smile. He couldn't believe it. They were actually here, alive and kicking as he had hoped. The reason they hadn't sent a letter was probably due to the busy work of running a group as large as the Akatsuki, and in consideration of him and his village's safety as well as their own. If their connection had been found out and misunderstood by Hanzō, he would think that the Akatsuki were planning something behind his back with Konohagakure. Well, he wanted to think that that was what's going on in their mind; otherwise they simply grew tired of contacting him.

He really hoped that wasn't the case.

"I believe you." He finally smiled, surprising some of his subordinates. "I doubt Jiraiya-sensei would be so underhanded as to team up with Hanzo and betray us, anyways." Kushina visibly showed relief, her shoulders losing their tenseness.

She had feared that there would be a fight—a fight that would definitely result with them failing—and was glad—terribly glad—that it had been the opposite. Everything was fine and dandy. Kushina was glad that Jiraiya had been there, otherwise they might have to reveal Naruto's big secret.

They decided to keep it that way, a secret, so that there won't be a possibility of it leaking out to public. A shinobi like Naruto didn't, if not never at all, come often and would surely peak other village's interests. After all, how many jinchuuriki were there who have the ability to time travel? Never mind the fact that Naruto had only done it once—and it would probably stay that way unless she studied the seal—she still had knowledge of what would happen at about twenty-five years into the future! Of course anyone would want to use a person like her for money.

Yahiko sighed, and a wide grin was now on his face. "A girl as young as you shouldn't put on such an adult face! Smile, smile!" His joyfulness had made the others chuckle and shake their heads in amusement. "Well, come on inside. Hey, Tsukiko?" A random lady, probably in her teens, perked up with a surprised squeak, "would you mind switching on the lights upstairs? The darkness is a little offsetting."

"N-No, sir!" She squeaked again with a fierce blush, before scurrying off.

Konan smirked, turning to the man. "Did you do that on purpose?" Though the question was supposed to be a light one, Naruto could hear a slight strain to her voice. Jealousy, maybe?

"Do what?" yahiko asked as innocent as day. He was answered with a light smack on his arm.

Kushina and Naruto blinked, not sure how to react at the sudden change in their behaviors. Were the two now lowering their guard around them? Jiraiya looked utterly relieved.

* * *

"I think I get what she means now," Mika said to them, snapping Kakashi out of his thoughts. He had began eating with the group, telling himself that it was only for the time being, until he fully learned the arts of stealth.

Shizuka raised a brow, "Who?"

"Naruto."

"Oh. What did she say?"

Mika grinned, first taking another chomp of her rice-ball. "Oh, just a few things on how to make pranks more successful. I swear she's a genius."  
Genma rolled his eyes. "Of course she is. Not every four year old can suddenly catch up with a class meant for kids much older than her."

"You talk a lot these days," Mika noted happily, sipping some of her apple juice. "And didn't you say she was an idiot?"

"She _acts_ like an idiot." Kakashi blinked.

The orange haired girl furrowed her brows and tilted her head in confusion. "You never said that."

"Of course I didn't. It wouldn't be wise to spoil her fun."

Kakashi frowned; what did he mean? Inwardly shaking his head, he asked, "Is she good at it?"

"At what?" Mika raised a brow, before smirking. "You mean at pranks?"

He nodded, and her smirk widened. "Good isn't enough to describe her skills, young one." Genma scoffed at her words. "She's a pro. A pro, Kakashi."

Shizuka didn't look up from her book as she spoke. "I suggest learning, if you could even call it that, from Naruto instead of Mika. She's probably smarter than her, anyways."

"Hey!"

That set a scowl (fortunately hidden by his mask) on Kakashi's face, but, nevertheless, he nodded. Now that he thought about it, the orange haired civilian's pranks seemed a bit minor compared to Naruto's. What the blonde did was always… big. Like the time she had blasted the classroom orange and scribbled all over the windows, tables, chairs and the blackboard. None of the teachers knew who did it (and didn't suspect that it was her), while the students congratulated the girl behind their backs. In fact, whenever Naruto did or at least participated in doing a prank, she and the group weren't found or ratted out. The reason they weren't exposed was the teachers hadn't gotten enough evidence that it was them, though they _did _have an inkling of suspicion. The group wasn't told on either since the class had been eternally grateful; they had gotten to miss class, after all.

While she was still on the goody-two-shoes list, Kakashi was currently sinking further down the troublemaking-brats list. Flown away was his 'perfect student' status.

One thing he was surprised (and secretly glad) about was that his father didn't look the least bit disappointed. Rather, the man looked absolutely relieved. When the homeroom teacher had suggested for little Kakashi some counseling, Sakumo merely waved away his concern with a laugh.

Well, he guessed pranking had its good points. But that didn't mean he would keep doing it; no, he'll get rid of that daily routine once he's fully mastered the skill. His father would surely get upset when he's had enough.

But to fully master the skill would mean waiting for Naruto's return.

What exactly was he missing? What did he need to do to make his prank absolutely foolproof?

Unlike Uzumaki Naruto, the pranking King (because she certainly did not act like a girl), he can never get all of his pranks to hit its mark a hundred percent accurately. Sometimes, when he's alone, his ideas would backfire and Kakashi would end up with a rotten fish, honey, and nattō in his hair.

Taking off the smell and the stickiness was absolute hell. He also had trouble finding and getting out the eyeball, since it got stuck all the way to his scalp.

Genma's voice thankfully prevented him from the horrors of reliving his worst prank. "So are you sure you don't know where she went?"

"Yes." All he knew was she was off to a high-class mission. He hadn't listened to her after that part of her announcement.

"Do you know what she's doing now?" The older boy stared at him, and truthfully it was starting to annoy Kakashi.

"Yes. She's on a mission."

Genma raised a brow, "A mission? Missions for academy students don't last this long." All D-ranks are often two to three days at maximum, and those are rare. Not to mention, all D-ranks are done in groups.

Kakashi shrugged, not bothered to answer any more. Mika noticed his sour expression (it was hard not to, even with the mask). Now that she thought about it, Kakashi never really did seem to like the Naruto. She had thought it was just a little façade since he was embarrassed, but was she wrong?  
"Do you not like her?" Shizuka had beaten her to it, but she hadn't particularly wanted to ask the question anyway. She waited for the boy to answer, expecting him to nod a 'yes' immediately, but was surprised to see that he had actually taken some time and consideration with his reply.

The boy disliked—maybe even along the borders of hate—Naruto. He was sure of that. So why couldn't he answer? Why was he hesitating? Normally, when the blonde was around or spoken of it would set a scowl to his face. How was now, when the question had been practically thrown out of nowhere, any different?  
Kakashi realized he was being silent for too long and the other three had been still waiting for his answer. He began eating his rice-ball again slowly as he pondered.

Without meaning to, his thoughts had drifted to the flashbacks of Naruto bringing him back to his house after their secret midnight training sessions. He had fallen asleep again, and woke up for a brief moment because of the particularly chilly wind. Naruto was carrying him up the wall of the house with undeniable effort that time, but from the way she had been hustling him onto her back with his arms around her shoulders, it seemed like she had done it a few times—which explains how he woke up at his own bed without being able to recall how he got home in the first place.

Another thought that showed up in his mind was when Naruto had given him a notebook during class. He had been absent the previous week due to sickness, and missed out on a lot of classes. She was downright tired, even the sensei had chastised her for it, and when he looked inside the book he realized why.

The pages were written fully with notes, all in clean, neat handwriting. He had also noticed the way some parts of the paper were worn, as if she had erased it numerous times. The places where she had drawn diagrams in particular.

He knew the girl never really listened in class since she already learnt everything, but when he read it he knew that the notes were their teacher's exact words. He frowned in bemusement; why on earth would she go so far for him? He could have just borrowed a random guy's notes and copied from them, so why did she take on such trouble?

Kakashi clenched his fists, confusion warping his mind. Did he like her (as a friend, of course)? He appreciated the care she literally showered him with… and recently (although he wouldn't openly admit it), he enjoyed her company (when she wasn't being loud and idiotic).

The more he thought, the more confused he became.

"Oi, don't worry your little head over it." Genma said exasperatedly, ruffling the younger boy's hair. "Just think of the answer later. Class is going to start soon, and I really don't want to be late."

Mika eyed him. "Yup, talking a lot more these days…"  
"Shut up."

* * *

Naruto blinked down at the dog, tiny with mostly black fluffy fur and eyes that shone like sapphire orbs. Its paws, like the bottom of its snout to its chest, belly, and the underside of its tail, were white, and the puppy's little ears were folded cutely. The puppy also had white spots right above its eyes, almost like eyebrows.

She crouched, watching the little ball of black and white fur stare back at her. It seemed to glare. She slowly reached to pet its head, and pouted when the little doggy growled.

Konan had noticed the two of them and walked over. "Ah, that's a dog Yahiko found in an alley; apparently his owner threw him away. Poor thing," She sighed, getting the puppy's treat. "He's only a few months old, too."

"Why would anyone try to throw away a puppy as cute as him?" Naruto asked, irked. No wonder the dog was so standoffish towards her and Konan.

"I think it was because the owner had plenty of its other siblings, and he was just the weakest one out of all of them. When Yahiko found him, the dog's physical and possibly mental state was horrifying." Konan shook her head in dismay at the memory. "If he had found that dog a day later he probably wouldn't have brought it alive."

"What the—" The girl stared down at the puppy with wide eyes full of shock and disbelief, "That's horrible!"

"Happens a lot, especially in tough times like these."  
"Oh…" That sadly made sense. The puppy in front of her was probably a husky, and would grow up to be big. The owner might have been breeding dogs to get an extra hand—paw—at work, and chosen the strongest out of the bunch.

She wrinkled her nose in disgust. Couldn't the guy just give the little pup to a neighbor or at least sell him to a nice, loving home?

"Well, I'm glad Yahiko-san found him."

Konan smiled slightly, "I do too."

Naruto suddenly got up, eyes blinking, as if she just remembered something. "Darn, I forgot I had to go to Nagato-san!"  
"Oh, I believe he was somewhere around the second floor. He's still discussing a few things with the other members for the… upcoming event."  
"Ah, so he's busy?" Disappointment was clear in the little girl's voice, causing the young woman to wince.

"No, he's most likely finishing up, so go check up on him. I believe he'll have some time open for you."

"Oh! Okay, thanks, Konan-neechan!"  
Said woman blinked at the affectionate term, watching Naruto hurriedly run off, stop, and wave goodbye at her and the dog. She rolled her eyes, but a smile was present on her face as she tossed the puppy behind her its snack.

Naruto eventually slowed down to a walk when she entered the floor Konan had told her to go to. It was dark, but the closed door she heard deep, muffled voices come from had light seeping out of the gap between it and the wooden floor.

She opened the door cautiously, just enough so she can peek her eye through the room, before she immediately jumped away. She shuffled across the wall, pressing herself against it so that the men filing out of the door wouldn't see her. When the last one was out, she inched closer, knowing that Nagato was still inside.

Poking her head in, she saw him seated in a dark wooden chair, reading through papers and scratching some notes with his pen.

"Nagato-san?"

The man jerked his head up in surprise, before a small smile was on his face. He beckoned her to enter with a downward wave of his hand. "Ah, come in, Naruto. What brings you up here?" It fell at seeing the girl's serious expression. "Did something happen?"

"No," She said slowly, as if thinking up her words carefully. "I just have a few things I wanted to discuss with you."

Nagato raised a brow, setting down his pencil and leaning back into his chair. "Oh?"

Naruto was stumped in her mind. What words should she use at a situation like this? There never was a manual or lessons on time travel in her academy days or with Kakashi-sensei.

After a moment of racking her brain out, she finally asked the young man, "Have you ever met an orange-masked man that goes by the name of 'Tobi'? Or possibly Madara?" She inhaled and exhaled rather deeply. Just the name had her blood boiling in her veins.

"Madara?" his eyebrows shot up as he repeated the name disbelievingly. "Well, no, I have not."

"He might not even be wearing his mask, but he has the Sharingan on his left eye—I'm not sure about his right. He has black hair, and I believe its short. He originally planned on taking advantage of the result of the ambush Hanzo set on the Akatsuki—of you."

"How would you know all of this?"

"That's not important," she ignored the fact that that was a common line many used to avoid a certain topic, "Don't let him join the Akatsuki, or even cooperate with him."

Naruto clenched her tiny fists tightly, barely holding back a growl. "If you ever meet him, be on your guard."

Nagato stared after her as she left without saying any more, taken aback. What on earth was that? He filed away her words in his mind, making sure he'll take note of it. She didn't seem to be lying. But…

Just who is Tobi? And what did he do to make Naruto hate him so much?

* * *

Kakashi's stare slowly began to, quite frankly, creep Minato out, making the man skip through his pages faster than he usually would unconsciously. Does he have something on his hair? Face? Maybe the boy was smirking under that mask of his after ruining the back of his pants? Oh, the jounin knew all about the formerly perfect student's recent behavior. Well, maybe behavior isn't the right word to use. More like actions.

He had often seen an irritated chuunin or two come by to lecture his sempai into setting his child straight. While they ranted and raved, he'd discreetly listen in on what Kakashi was up to these days, and what he learned had him grinning from ear to ear as they got more and more amusing.

But now he was definitely not grinning. No, he was sweating buckets, watching his back—literally—self-consciously to make sure that he hadn't been the boy's target. Minato knew about Kakashi's dislike towards Naruto, which made him all the more anxious. It wouldn't have been so bad if the two had started getting along after spending more time together…

He shook his head; no, he would not risk getting an extravagant makeover by asking Kakashi about their social progress.

The silver haired academy student didn't notice Minato's obvious discomfort at being scrutinizingly watched. Kakashi was much too deep in thought, as he only registered the neon-like yellow and blue features of the man, so similar to a certain girl's. Hidden underneath the dark navy blue cloth, his lips curled down further while his brows drew closer.

To inquire or not to inquire, that is the question. If he did choose to, then he might seem too curious. But then again, it's something other people would do since they have nothing better to discuss. He inwardly shrugged, deciding that it won't do much harm to ask an innocent question.

Minato twitched when the boy finally talked. "Where's Naruto originally from?" Blinking, he rubbed his chin at the boy's question, quite unsure himself. The girl hadn't said it, and he doubted she remembered.

"I don't know, and I don't think she knows either. She and her former sensei had been moving around and about to numerous different towns after all."

Kakashi blinked, before nodding. "Where's her sensei?" A small, sad smile reached Minato's lips.

"Well, we're not sure; he's currently missing. But there's a high chance that he's been killed." The blond sighed, "He told her to run to Konoha if anything happened to him, so here she is."

"Is Naruto related to you?" Kakashi honestly couldn't see how the two weren't related, though he had heard Naruto was adopted. He had seen the man spar with his father, and the expression Minato had then had been the same as the ones Naruto would often have on during their training sessions.

"Anything can happen, though I doubt she is." Minato rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "But I guess we look undeniably similar. Funny, huh? She even looks like Kushina, too."

"Kushina-san?" Kakashi blinked. He barely remembered the woman, and the only thing he can recall about her and Naruto being similar was that they both had long, smooth hair (except the blonde had spiky bangs framing her face).

"Yep, their faces look very similar. It scared me at first, really." Minato chuckled lightly, "I guess coincidences really _do_ happen."

Sakumo, who had just come out of the kitchen, wiped his hands on his black apron as he watched the other man curiously. It was a little difficult, but he spotted it; the strongly veiled doubt hidden in blue eyes. _Do you not believe your own words, Minato? _He knew that the Namikaze didn't believe in coincidences. He wondered what the Minato suspects of Naruto. Her being him and Kushina's real child?

No, Sakumo decided in his head, because that was absolutely impossible. Maybe he should get a mental health checkup?

* * *

Naruto furrowed her brows together and cocked her head to the side in confusion as she stared at the large, familiar scroll in front of her. "I thought I wasn't supposed to learn the Summoning Technique yet." She raised a brow questioningly at the tall man before sitting on a tree stump. They were at the Akatsuki's training ground, waiting for the man spying on Hanzo's meeting with Root to return.

Kushina had gone back to the tower to get some snacks they can eat, and would be returning some time soon. From the corner of her eyes, Naruto could see the puppy she met the day before, sat down with its blue eyes staring at them observationally. Sighing exasperatedly, she pointed at him and asked Jiraiya, "Does that dog hate me or not?"

"He probably hasn't decided yet," The sage eyed both of them in amusement.

She scowled at the pup, her eyes squinting smaller and smaller as the dog continued to stare back at her unchangingly. "For some reason, he reminds me of someone. Very much."  
"Well, we'll talk about him later, and focus on your training."

Naruto raised a brow and looked back at her mentor, "Yeah, about that, why now?"

"He's probably just worried about the ambush, and wants you to be prepared for it, Naruto." The two's heads looked back to see Kushina, holding three lunch boxes. "I believe you won't over do it. You understand that, right, Jiraiya?" She smiled, setting down the bento packs on a stump as she sat on another one, and crossed her legs threateningly.

"Of course," the man chuckled nervously, "Who do you take me for?"

"Just making sure, Jiraiya. What are you getting so worked up for?" The woman smirked, crossing her arms.

Naruto sighed at them, before picking up the scroll. She unraveled it while biting her thumb and drawing the blood out. Smoothly she wrote her name down.

Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto.

She grinned, looking down at it proudly.

"Oh, I see you're done." Jiraiya grumbled, before waving his hand at her when he walked off to get a rice ball. "Now try summoning a toad. No tadpoles."

"I know that," she muttered back, before getting into work.

After slamming her hand down on the grassy ground, she waited for the smoke to disperse.

When she saw the tiny tadpole (though it _did _have tiny little legs attached), she glared with contempt.

* * *

"Oh! Look, it's a frog!" Kippei held up the little green critter by one of its legs, before being assaulted with indignant screeches and screams of horror from the girls. His ears rang painfully, and not long after he was hit in the face with a heavy pencil case.

Shizuka rolled his eyes, "What an idiot."

Genma didn't even take his eyes off his manga, flipping through the pages, clearly bored. "Isn't he always?"

"Hey, you two," Mika frowned, "we finally get to go out here by the river instead of suffering from classes and this is how you waste time?" She waved her arms around and whined, "Come on, let's play!"

"Why don't you go with Kippei?" The Hyuuga girl had dug her nose back into her new book, completely dismissing her friend.

"Fine!"

Shizuka subtly watched Mika stomp off, and turned to see Kakashi sitting against a tree, making paper planes in boredom. She slowly blinked, and Genma, who had noticed her looking around, recognized the small action as her remembering something.

"What is it?"

Shizuka looked back at him blankly. "Nothing," she said at first, before adding, "I was just remembering the fact that he didn't answer my question."

"Your question?" He took a second to understand what she meant. "Oh, that. He probably doesn't want to give an answer."

She expected him to explain but he didn't. Slightly annoyed, she scowled, "What makes you think that?"

"Well, the fact that he's unsure must mean he likes her on some level, doesn't it?"

"Yes...?"

"Then that might mean he just doesn't want to admit it."

Shizuka stared for a while, before sighing and looking down at her book. "I guess that could be right."

"You're just saying that to end this conversation, aren't you?"

"What do you think?"

Mika, who had been catching frogs with Kippei and showing them off to the other boys down by the river, glared up at them. Huffing, she stomped her feet once again, making the tiny frogs in her hands escape. She stomped again.

Kippei raised a brow at her, wondering how much longer she can remain sane. Hopefully after they graduate and be separated in different teams? But the other classmates weren't as fun to be around as Mika was, though Naruto would be an exception to that. Speaking of which, "when is she coming back? Naruto, I mean." He asked Mika, a jealous frown on his face. "No one's ever allowed to be away from the academy this long! Why her?"

"Oh quit your whining Kippei and help me catch the frogs again!" Now that he thought about it, the girl has been pretty bossy recently. He can only hope that it wouldn't last until their last five months left of their academy life, but from the way Mika's going...

"Fine, just stop nagging all the time." If there was one thing he hated more than women's nagging, studying, and homework, it would be Mika's punches. "Ow!"

* * *

"Well, we should end here," Jiraiya said, eyeing her as if to make sure that she won't collapse any time soon.

Naruto closed her eyes as she wiped off the sweat under her nose; as she had expected, she would need more chakra. "It's fine, I can still continue."

"Your chakra—"

She sat down and began meditating, trying to enter her mind.

_She now stood in the sewer she was familiar with; the warm water around her feet, and especially the bars that kept the giant demon within her caged. _"You know what I'm here for, don't you?"_ She smirked, raising her hand almost demandingly. _

_**"What did you call it again? Rent?" **_  
"Good thing you're not _naturally _losing your memory, eh, old fox?" _Naruto pulled her long boots higher up her thigh, smiling nostalgically as she did so. _"I sure miss these. Being younger again does have its disadvantages especially with circumstances like mine, huh?"

**_"Don't you have to hurry?" _**_The beast asked dryly, and in a second, red chakra whirled around the young teen's feet and the water. _**_"Just this once, I'll let you waste my chakra. It's annoying how you're so weak even with_ _my_ _presence._"**

"Hey, you know it's not my fault."_ Naruto smiled knowingly, _"And even if you act like you hate meーyou probably do though, since I'm locking you up here with nothing to doーI know you're actually a nice guy! And no, you can't deny it!"

_Kyuubi didn't bother retorting. **"How's that seal coming along?" **_

_Naruto raised a brow, settling her hands on her hips. _"What do you think?"_ she deadpanned._ "Well, unlike the previous one, I don't have headaches. In fact, it feels... I feel a lot better than I should."

_When he didn't respond, she explained more. _"How should I put this... It's like I feel lighter? Like maybe a weight's that's been on my shoulders has been lessened?"

_**"Well, I guess that's what happens with your memories getting erased." **_

_Naruto furrowed her brows in concern. "Just how much of my memories are gone now?"_

_**"I don't know the exact percentage, but it's not that much." **Kyuubi huffed, **"Nothing to die over. You've probably just lost the memories of the first few years of your life. So the ones you can't even recall is fully**_** gone."**

"Huh?"

_He sighed exasperatedly. **"What I mean is, the memories you don't remember was still there, in the very back of your mind. You can't see it again, but it still exists. You can see it as an invisible bunch of memories."** He stared at her eyes, slightly amused at how it suddenly shined in understanding. **"And since that ancient seal takes **_**much _more time to destroy memories unlike the... Age Sucker, it's still in the process of erasing, again, those invisible memories."_**

_"Oh, I get it now!" Naruto grinned and folding her arms behind her head. "So we really didn't have to make a big deal out of it, huh?"_

_**"It's not so slow as to take months to destroy a day of memories, idiot!" **He growled, annoyed at how she was being so relaxed now. **"On second thought, try to get Kushina to see that seal!" **_

_"Alright, alright! I'll ask mom to take a look." Naruto twitched, before glancing at her hands, "Looks like I better go. I've stayed too long." She grinned up appreciatively at him when she felt the Kyuubi's chakra envelop her, and waved goodbye. _

_Huffing, he went back to lying down in the shadows. Glowing crimson eyes slid closed. _

_Without having her around, it sure is quite boring._

* * *

"So how's Naruto's sensei like? Did she tell you?"

Minato blinked, looking up at Sakumo in surprise before setting his book down on the coffee table. "She did. Her sensei's pretty interesting."

"Oh?" The Hatake raised a brow and sat down on the couch across the other man's.

"It's almost as if her sensei is different people stuck in one body from the details she enlightened me with." Minato chuckled at the memory of the girl enthusiastically chatting away when he asked her about her mysterious teacher. "One thing that bothers me is... well, he read 'orange adult books' even in front of Naruto. And giggles while doing so. Thankfully she never read anything on it, and I doubt she understands what 'adult books' are."

Sakumo frowned disapprovingly, "Well, he's not a very responsible man, is he?"

"But," Minato's eyes shone in amusement, "He seems like another Jiraiya. Very serious with her training."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Other than what he taught her, she told me a lot about her sensei's preferences," Minato gave a small, slightly crooked smile. "She misses him greatly. I can tell from the way she spoke."

The silver haired man's face was grim. "Of course she would; she's been with him since she was a little baby."

Minato nodded, before attempting to lighten up the conversation a bit. "I feel like I personally know 'im. Apparently, he likes salt-broiled saury and miso soup with eggplant." Sakumo's brows raised slightly in surprise.

"Kakashi loves that. Funny," the man smiled a little at the thought of Kakashi growing up to be a jounin sensei reading smut in front of his students.

Minato chuckled, also imagining the same, "Yeah, I doubt he'll ever turn out that way," he said to himself in amusement. Shaking his head, he stood up. "I guess I'll get go to bed now. Good night, Sempai."

"Ah, good night."

* * *

The young blonde grinned down at the gigantic toad she now stood upon, "Uzumaki Naruto's the name, Oyabun!"

Gamabunta eyed her doubtfully, before scowling at Jiraiya, who could only sheepishly gaze back. **"What's the meaning of this?" **The toad growled, **"That ****Great Honourable Geezer**couldn't possibly mean this brat is the Child of the Prophecy!"

"About that..." Jiraiya was close to pressing his index fingers together, shrinking back. "Well, you can't really judge a book by it's cover!"

"I'm not a book," Naruto muttered expressionlessly.

**"That's rich, coming from you, _Jiraiya_," **Gamabunta sneered, before throwing his head back. Naruto nearly lost balance, and would have tumbled down the toad's back had she not immediately flowed chakra to her feet.

She glared up at Gamabunta's head and yelled, "Watch it!"

**"Well, you're not too bad," **He commented, but still scowled, **"But how long can you stay up there for, I wonder?"**

"H-Hey, we're in Ame! You can't run around—" Jiraiya was ignored.

_Not this again! _Naruto groaned, and yelped when the giant toad suddenly jumped. She waved her arms frantically and attached her hands to the rough skin with chakra desperately.

While leaping, Gamabunta could help but to feel a heavy sense of deja vu. He ignored it, but it kept scratching at the back of his mind.

_**I must be tired,**_ he decided.

A while away from them, Konan sat down and sipped her herb tea before almost jumping when the ground shook, and winced when a few drops of the hot water spilled on her hand. Odd, she thought to herself as she wiped it off and turned on the cold water tap. Amegakure never had earthquakes before.

* * *

Hiding under the leaves of various tall bushes and leaves, not too far from her mother and mentor, Naruto took a deep breath. If things had gone as planned, she would be changing the future drastically.

She was confident her chakra was completely hidden. Other than the summoning technique, Jiraiya made her work hard on practicing only that, seeing as she had large reserves of chakra. If she kept calm, she can even mess with a sensor and give them trouble finding her spot.

Taking a sharp intake of breath at the sight of the three Akatsuki founders down below, she shifted on her knees, preparing herself.

_Nagato watched the wide group as he spoke. "If what Naruto predicted is accurate, then he'll probably try to take use our trust and come close. They have a shinobi who excelled in the body flicker technique, and might have him get Konan."_

Naruto frowned, watching a man walking towards the three Ame orphans. _That must be him, _she smirked.

_"He's a pretty well known flirt," __Yahiko began, and a dark look flickered on his face before leaving as soon as it came. "He'll probably try to get physical contact with Konan to teleport back to Hanzo's side." _

Although there was a possibility that their predictions are wrong, it was low. Not only did how the shunshin-expert hold Konan's hand while he was about to kiss it almost prove them right, he had a malicious smirk spread across his lips.

The man disappeared in a puff of smoke along with Konan, so now the game has begun. She grinned.

* * *

Chapter seven, done!

God, I'm really sorry, I can't keep promises, can I? I said this will be posted in a week, but now a full month's past... I never thought I would update later than three weeks! Well, I made this chapter slightly longer than usual... I think. I'm not sure how this chapter was though. Feedback please? T T

Gotta do something about my organization skills and clubs.

Yeah, I couldn't resist signing up for one which takes practically half of my free time now that I'm in high school (they never had awesome clubs in primary/junior or middle school). Not to mention that studying and homework is now top on my priority list.

So I'm thinking of updating every two weeks. I think the chapters would be cut down to 5000 words then, maybe a little less, but I'll try hard.

Sorry again, and thanks for the support!  
Replies to dear reviewers:

Sora Tsuiki: Yeah, though I bet you're disappointed with how late this update is... Truly sorry! Yeah, not much of Yahiko, but I promise I'll add some more of him in the next chapter! I'm super glad you're happy with the seals thing (I also preferred the other name too...)! Hehe, I can't really think of Minato being calm all the time xD Thankyouthankyouthankyou for reviewing!

Prescripto13: Yay! xD Thanks for the review!

Guest: Great! Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you enjoyed it! And I'm sorry I didn't update in a week as I said I would!

Tsume Yuki: Thank you very much! Likewise, I love your ideas and the way you write! Ahaha, I couldn't help but imagine Minato acting like that... Thank you (again ^^") for you support! Sorry for the very late update...

Guest: Thanks! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

pizzafan123: Yup, and though this is quite random, I love your penname xD pizzaaa, darn I want to eat a slice now. Thanks for the review!

Shadow Realm Triforce: Thank you for your reviews! Usuratonkachi (what Kakashi called Naruto) means thin hammer, so what it means is useless. Just take it as a synonym for "idiot" or something ^v^

My Name's a Secret: Ohmygosh your review is so long! Thank you so much for taking the time to type it all! And...** thank you **for going so far as to making an account for this story! Miku89? I haven't, actually. Just found out now! Thanks for the suggestion! Well, Naruto isn't really an idiot in cannon-he just acts like it, so I thought I should change that a little ^^ I'm happy you think so as well (the thing I said in the first chapter's A/N)! Yeah, I doubt it would be very hard for Orochimaru or Kabuto to find an Uzumaki (plus Karin is highly suspected to be an Uzumaki, right? Since she can heal people letting them... bite her, she must be giving them some of her life force-which Uzumaki's have a lot of like chakra). Again, thanks for the feedback!

NaturalSam14: I have Tsume Yuki to thank for suggesting this fanfic! Thanks for giving it a try xD Glad you like it! xD

Dimensiontimetraveler: Yup, Kakashi's learning the wonderful art of pranks! _Maybe _Minato has something to do with it xD Yeah, I think Kushina should be the first to know. She's the second jinchuuriki of the Nine Tails, after all, and Minato isn't the Hokage yet, so telling him won't do any good... I think. Sorry for the late update!

Shikuroaka: I'm terribly sorry for the late update! I'll try to update sooner this time! Hehe, Minato really does seem like that, huh? Oh, it's Fukasaku! I originally thought it was Fukusaku too until I checked Narutopedia xD Yeah, something's going on with the toads. You'll just have to wait and see Minato's reaction :) Thank you!  
Animefreak Amii: Thanks a ton! Glad you like the ideas xD I really like Kushina just as much as I like Minato, so I guess that's why ^^" I'm still trying to give everyone the amount of attention they should have (Yahiko will probably have his spotlight time in the next chapter), so I'm really happy you noticed that!

Oenix: thank you for the review! I'm glad the fighting scene was fine (not much experience with writing those...)!

Theia Pallas: Thanks for the comment, and sorry for the late update!

Thanks for reading! Reviews would be highly appreciated :)


	9. Chapter Eight

Minato's brows furrowed and his lips formed a scowl as he rolled around his bed. One eye peeked open, checking the time and he thanked the gods when he remembered it was Sunday. _10:35 AM. _He must have been dead tired from his mission last night. Groaning, he tried to get up but realized he couldn't; he couldn't move his arms, hands, or feet, and when he finally opened his eyes, he realized why. The blanket had been firmly wrapped around his body, making him look like a white caterpillar. He rolled over to the side and glanced at the mirror.

Eyes widened with horror at the sight of his face.

He had blinding red lipstick on, and his brows were thickly colored grey, making him look like he had a bushy unibrow. Two black circles had been drawn around his eyes, hot pink swirls painted on his cheeks, a black moustache marked on under his nose...

Oh god. These weren't put on with permanent markers were they?

Knowing that brat, they probably were.

"_Kakashi!_"

* * *

Sakumo, who was sat in his favorite plushy couch with a cup of hot coffee, raised a brow at the screech coming from the bedrooms, and raised a brow inquiringly at his son. The boy merely shrugged as he sipped his cocoa and continued doing his homework on the sofa. Sighing, Sakumo got up with his cup and walked to Minato's room.

He heard a loud thud, and when he opened the door, looked around to find that the blond wasn't in. The Hatake noticed that the covers were mysteriously gone from the bed, too.

He sipped some more of his coffee while walking to the other side of the bed, before his eyes widened at the large, cocoon-like bundle on the floor. He crouched and turned it over, taking another mouthful of his caffein, and spat it back out.

Sakumo bellowed with laughter, clutching his sides, and Minato scowled in anger and disgust, face slightly burning from the drops of hot coffee on his face. "Stop laughing and help me, Sakumo!"

"It's 'sempai,' remember, Minato? But then again, with that moustache, I'm not so sure anymore!" Sakumo tried to support himself by leaning against the bed, unable to contain his amusement. "Oh, gods! Kakashi! Get me the camera!"

Sharply thirty seconds later, the young boy came in, camera and pictures in hand. "I've already gotten some of before and after his makeover."

"That's my boy, Kakashi! Come on, take some more, will ya? He's on the floor!"

Minato rolled over and glared daggers at the wall.

* * *

A smirk crossed her lips before she prepared to jump. She crouched on her toes, and tightly held the scroll that was now in her left hand.

Using chakra, she flew hard and high.

The Hanzo army gawked up at her, their eyes following her figure as she soared up till she was high above them. The young girl unraveled her scroll in one sweep midair, eyes narrowed in concentration as she bit her lip and slammed her hand on the middle of it. They saw a tint of red around her hands before the whole area was surrounded by clouds.

Still held back by Hanzo whose arm was around her neck rather tightly, 'Konan' unlatched the small seal from the scroll Jiraiya had given her, and, with a smirk much similar to Naruto's, she unrolled it. Not wasting even a mere second stopped the solid henge by unlatching the seal on her thigh.

She suddenly transformed into the form of Naruto, whose body was much, much smaller. Much to Hanzo's shock and horror, she was able to fall from his grasp, slam the thick, long parchment onto the man that previously held her hostage. She could see a quickly growing shadow of a man, and quickly realized that it was probably Jiraiya.

As she was instructed by her mentor earlier, she immediately fled away, making sure she didn't collide with any enemies. She avoided any silhouettes she came across, casting a veil over her chakra, and went back to her where her original body came flying down from.

Reaching the spot, she could see where the giant shadow of Gamabunta was in the clouds that were quickly disappearing. Now her tasks were completed. With a grin, she 'poof'ed away.

Her eyes snapped open, and Naruto smirked; there was still a good amount of smoke left, which should be enough to get rid of enough enemies. _They should all be clear and gone by now, _she thought, and tapped her foot lightly on the gigantic toad she stood on. Applying chakra to her feet, she stuck onto him like glue and tried not to wince every time the toad went around to squash crowds of Hanzo's ninjas. She also helped, forming clones and making them fly down to the unsuspecting enemies and knocking them off.

They and Gamabunta got rid of the number of opponents at a frightening speed, and Naruto wondered just how many would be left after the smoke has been completely cleared up. The air was still foggy, and a normal person would just be able to see the figure of another from a little far off. Naruto guessed it would be time to send Gamabunta back... but she also guessed it wouldn't hurt to have him get rid of just a few more people...

She knew she was enjoying the ride on top of his head a little too much, probably because of the feeling of superiorityーher present height wasn't doing her any goodーbut who cares, really? Well, other than the grumpy toad boss under her muddy sandals?

* * *

She can aim a seal pretty well, Jiraiya admitted. He studied the cuboid trap around Hanzo carefully with a scrutinizing glare before grumbling as he got out a scroll. But before she can even think about learning advanced seals, he continued his train of thought irritably, Naruto should learn how to write _properly. _Luckily this seal wasn't particularly picky on that part, and Naruto's handwriting was _just _good enough to pass.

Shaking his head, he activated the seal on his arm, waiting for it to collect down to his hand before shoving it against the purple cage. He continued to push, and after a while a few dribbles of sweat rolled down the sides of his face. The more chakra he pressed in, the smaller the box shrunk, suffocating the trapped man. Jiraiya ignored how gruesome this tactic wasーit was quite possibly the easiest and most efficient way to kill Hanzo and keep the poisons from spreading.

The cuboid trap seal was nothing more than what it looked likeーa cage. What was important here was the seal Jiraiya held against it. The shrinks the box as well as squish what's inside it and, with more chakra from the user, takes away the victim's chakra and makes it evaporate into the air. This was one of the fuuinjutsu Jiraiya barely uses, seeing as it takes pretty much two to three quarters of his chakra.

The sage refused to wipe away the sweat trickling down his face, and let the seal continue to drain his chakra. As tiring as this was, it made the job of killing Hanzo less complicated. The man was fully trapped, with no where to go. If Jiraiya had to say anything about this, he'd say this is _easy. _Almost much too easy, in fact.

_But I might seriously be out of chakra soon... _Jiraiya cringed, _to think that he has this much chakra..._  
As if sensing his crisis, Kushina appeared. She was clearly angry, but it was mostly out of worry, and he can tell from how her brows were so tightly knit together. "How much more idiotic can you get, Jiraiya-sama! Just look at yourself!"

She all but shoved to replace him, and pushed in her chakra to the seal as he had been doing just a few seconds prior. "With the state you're in, you shouldn't even be able to stand!" Kushina focused solely on the seal and her hands, not taking even a peak at the quickly shrinking box and the agony Hanzo was in.

She knew he must have been in a lot of pain, and out of pride and years of training wasn't letting out a single cry or grunt of pain. She had to hand it to the man; he was very brave. Not that it would help him in this situation, but still made her give Hanzo more respect. "How long?"

"Hm?" Jiraiya grunted unintelligently, and his exhaustion was clear from his tone and posture.

"I mean, how long have you pumped chakra into this thing?"

"Oh, I lost track."

Kushina growled in frustration, before thinking deeply. He must have started soon after Naruto, who had been 'henge'ed into Konan at the time, casted the caging seal, which was probably about thirty to forty-five minutes ago. _How on earth could he still be standing? _Kushina frowned; the seal sucked _too much _chakra. Even she was sure she'll feel slightly tired by fifteen minutes, and she had lots of it.

She turned her head to see that the fog had pretty much been cleared completely. Naruto and Gamabunta stood in the middle of the battlefield, and the grounds looked like it was painted black from all the fallen Amegakure ninjas. She could see that her daughter was heavily breathing, hunching over slightly. Of course even _Naruto_ would be tiredーshe had summoned the great toad boss by summoning up Kyuubi's chakra, which, even if it wasn't hers, would still tire her out mentally. Adding onto that the chakra exhaustion from using so many clones to fight off the remaining bunch of enemies, which were still a large number, Naruto, a physically five year old girl would of course be on the thin shreds of consciousness.

The giant toad disappeared, and much to Kushina's horror, Naruto fell, completely knocked out. "_NARUTO!_" She can't lose her! Her mind screamed and Kushina cried again, her hands almost slipping off the white slip of paper.

If it hadn't been for Yahiko, who landed below the girl and caught her just in time, the woman would have let go of the seal. Sighing with relief, the woman got back to focusing on only her workーshe _couldn't _afford to take her hands away from it. That would mean letting the seal break along with the cage, and set Hanzo free. She couldn't let that happen. _  
_

She can trust Naruto with Yahiko. He'll keep her safe, Kushina just knew, even if they hadn't interacted much with him.

She almost jumped at the sudden voice behind her. "Although I'm here now, you better be on your guard." She turned her head to see Konan and frowned in confusion. The purple haired Akatsuki founder merely cocked her head to behind them, and when Kushina twisted to see what she was indicating, she froze.

Far off, heading towards them were a small group of Hanzo's ninjas, most likely sent for backup. A curse slipped her lips, and Kushina pushed her chakra into the seal even more. Growing impatient, she finally raised her head to see that the formerly transparent box had turned pitch black. She cringed, realizing that it was now the size that would only fit a child the size of Naruto.

Thank goodness the color had made it impossible to see what was going on inside. She would probably not be able to take it if she saw what had become of Hanzo.

She was about to let her hands down, before Jiraiya's voice stopped her.

"Don't." At Kushina's confusedーand most probably exhaustedーlook, he elaborated. "To a normal person, leaving it to here would be fine. But this is Hanzo we're facing. His poison can spread immediately and kill us all this instant."

Realization dawned on the her. It had been written on one of the information filled papers the spies had stacked on the discussing table of the Akatsuki's headquarters. The man had implanted the venom sac of a black salamander into his own body. When cut, he can release the poisonous gas and kill everyone exposed to it.

Kushina nodded weakly. She was also still queasy about the fact that Hanzo was _dead _inside that black box. It seemed so surreal. Everything probably went to their advantage easily because he hadn't expected _any _of it. Naruto's sudden change might have also triggered something in his heart, though that's just what she was thinking.

She watched Konan wave her origami butterflies towards the group of enemy ninjas, and when her slender hands closed, the dainty little white creatures exploded. Some had anticipated this and jumped, avoiding the attack swiftly before one of them whipped wind blades down towards the two women.

Kushina widened her eyes, only to see that Konan had formed a thick barrier of paper. _I didn't think that would be possible,_ she looked on in awe, before feeling a heavy weight fall on her shoulders, weakening her legs.

The seal was taking much more chakra now. _Why? _She was about to ask Jiraiya, only to find that he was barely fending off the enemies. _Dammit. _She had no choice.

She'll have to use _his _help.

* * *

Nagato ran to them, brows furrowed in worry. Yahiko smiled slightly, and set the girl down against the tree he stood by. "Don't worry, she's fine. It's merely small chakra exhaustion and slight stress." He crouched down to brush the bangs from Naruto's closed eyes. "Konan came by earlier to check on her and said so."

"I... see." Nagato frowned, turning around to see a crowd of other Amegakure shinobi far off from them. "They don't seem to be our allies. Where are the others?"

"They're still waiting for Hanzo's backup to come. We're also expecting some of Danzo's Root to fight us as well, so they decided to come down on them when the right time comes."

He sighed wearily, "Alright. Keep an eye on her, will you? I'll try to see how I can help them."

Yahiko nodded, watching as the other man disappeared, via shunshin.

Turning to the sleeping Naruto, he raised a brow amusedly. He shook his head, and adjusted the girl's position so she would be leaning against the tree more comfortably.

He wondered what she was dreaming about to be smiling so serenely.

* * *

_The raven watched her pluck some more flowers with a small smile. She blinked, glancing up when she noticed him standing far off, and grinned widely up at the boy. Her blonde hair fluttered gently in the wind, making her look like an angel in her white dress as se sat in the middle of the emerald meadow. The little boy, like her, was most likely five or six years old. She also noticed his hair was shaped oddly, almost like aー_

_The boy was scowling, and pawed at his head self-consciously. "I know, it looks like a duck's behind."_

_"You're a mind-reader!" She giggled, the flowers she picked clutched in her hands. _

_The boy's scowl turned into a pout. "You told me that it looked like a duck's butt when we saw each other in a class. You don't remember?"_

_The blonde was silent for a moment before her fist hit her other hand's palm in realization, sapphire eyes wide and shining. "Oh, I do! I remember! When our classes were mixed together, I saw you... and your head! Your name was... Uchiwa... Sasuke?"  
_

_He scowled again. "_Uchiha,_" he emphasized loudly, and Naruto smiled apologetically. "But at least you got my first name right." He said that rather shyly making the girl cock her head to the side, confused. _

_Sasuke looked away and explained. "Normally everyone would remember my clan name first..."_

_"Really? Huh, that's weird." Last names were harder to remember than given names in her opinion. Shaking her head, she stood and skipped to him in glee. To think that this boy would actually _talk _to her without anything strange in his eyes or voice! "So what brings you all the way out here?"_

_He raised a brow, "Same for you." _

_"Oh! I forgot, I haven't told you my name yet, have I? It's Naruto! Uzumaki Naruto!"_

_"Uzumaki... Naruto."_

_"Yep!" Naruto grinned. "And I'm here 'cause I like it! I've only found it a few days ago, though."_

_"Hmm..." Sasuke looked around, "I came 'cause I thought Niisan would be here, but..."_

_"Niisan? You have an older brother?"  
"Yeah! The best there ever is!" The black haired boy boasted pridefully. "He's _Itachi_!"_

_She tilted her head to the side, before jumping when someone spoke behind her. "Sasuke, there you are." A boy of ages maybe thirteen to fourteen panted, obviously tired from running around._

_"Niisan!"_

_Naruto looked up shyly, before widening her eyes by a fraction. Sasuke's older brother had super long eyelashes! Hers was longer, but... __He had super long eyelashes! Boys don't _have _that! It's weird, she decided in her head, for boys to look_ pretty._ When his gaze was now focused on her, a small, pink blush lightened her cheeks. _

_"Oh, you made a new friend?" The boy smiled at her. "Hello, I'm Uchiha Itachi."_

_"S-same here! My name is Uzumaki Naruto!" She stuttered, and noticed that she had dropped a flower. _

_He bent over to pick it up and, after examining it, he tucked it in one of Naruto's twin blonde tails. Her face had the exact same shade of a tomato, before she abruptly looked down at the ground and mumbled a thanks. _

_Itachi drew his brows closer in confusion at her response, but shrugged it off and smiled again, "Well, Naruto, it was nice to meet you today, but we'll have to leave now."_

_"Oh... okay, see you guys some other time, then!" She grinned, waving happily. Sasuke waved back, just as enthusiastic, and walked away with his hand clutching his older brother's. _

_Naruto watched the two's retreating back with smile, shoving away the pang of loneliness the scene plagued her with. She made two new friends! _

_She didn't know that exactly a year later, their warmth would disappear._

* * *

Naruto fluttered her eyes open, only to jump at the sudden explosions that shook the ground. "What the heck?"

_Wait a minute, _why was she sleeping? She was _sleeping _while the others were fighting for their lives! She whipped her head around from side to side and was horribly relieved to see Yahiko standing across from her, watching the scene below on the battlefield. Her eyes squinted, and she spotted sorrow and regret in his eyes.

"How long was I out?" Naruto seemed to have surprised him, and the look on his face dissolved into a light smile.

"Not too long. Are you ready to fight?"

"Yup!" Naruto stood up and brushed the leaves from her pants. She watched the Akatsuki members fight Hanzo's shinobi with a bemused frown, "I thought Oya_ー_Gamabunta-sama and I had finished them?"

"You did, but more came. Come on, we better go down and help."

Naruto nodded, and followed him and ran down the cliff. She watched him in Yahiko in awe, still unable to grasp the fact that he was alive and walking on his own will. With a blush, the blonde's sixteen year old mind had to admit that the man _is _kind of good looking without the horrible pierces. _  
_

She shook her head furiously; Naruto was five years old now. She can't have such thoughts, and right now it's a mini-war here. Regaining her focus back on the situation, she slipped her hand in her weapon pouch to take out a few kunais.

Yahiko looked back at her for a moment, before rummaging through his own holster. "You're a wind user, weren't you? I remember seeing you practice a little with Jiraiya-sensei." At her nod, he passed her a pair of trench knives, which Naruto recognized instantly_ーAsuma-sensei had similar ones. _"Use these; they're for beginners, so even if you only just started training your elemental chakra, you can still use it. All you have to do is channel wind chakra into them."

"Oh, thanks!" Naruto grinned and put them on, flexing her fingers. She did as he instructed and blinked. She had only just started elemental chakra manipulation a few days ago_ー_she couldn't even form a simple wind blade either_ー_and yet it was easy to channel wind chakra into the weapons. She could get used to these; they were really light, too. Naruto reminded herself that she was merely _borrowing _it, and looked longingly at the knives.

A small mob of ninjas came after them, the weaker ones of the bunch aiming at Naruto for obvious reasons. The 'little girl' scowled, and sliced her way through them.

Naruto frowned, searching for any signs of Root. Cursing, she realized they had all fled to return to Danzo. _Most likely to tell him that we found out, _Naruto thought darkly. It would be rather complicated to stick a black mark on that bandaged old geezer if he had the time to think of escape routes. _Damn it all, _they didn't even have evidence! Persuading the other advisors that what the darn rat did would bring misfortune in the future would be almost impossible, seeing as they couldn't reveal to them that Naruto had time travelled. They would surely try to take advantage of it and pester her, which Naruto did _not _want.

She had other, more _important _things to deal with than to satisfy their desires.

Growling at the less than pleasant memories of the pointless arguments she had gotten herself into with them, she took out some of her irritation on the enemies, piercing and slicing with her borrowed trench knives. It wasn't as awesome as Asuma's were, given that it's for beginners to get used to them, they still did their jobs perfectly. Though Naruto did not have much experience with sharp pointy things (Sakura had been weary about giving them to her), she could tell these were well made.

They were pretty tough, but Hanzo's ninjas were finally defeated by the Akatsuki plus Konoha group. Naruto noticed with a relieved grin that they hadn't killed them off and, instead, merely knocked them out. For possibly several long hours.  
It would be pretty muddy by the time they woke up (possibly by the feel of worms squiggling in their hair and shirt, she thought with a shiver and cringe of pity.

* * *

By the time Naruto had went to see her mother and Jiraiya, she immediately jumped to help supply chakra into the seal Kushina was working on. The woman was practically sleep-standing, and it was a wonder how chakra was still being sucked in. "Kaa-chan! It's fine, I got this!"Konan, who had only just finished checking whether the area was clear of enemies, widened her eyes at Kushina's critical state.

Clicking her tongue in disapproval, she took Kushina's weight by slinging the woman's arm over her shoulders. "Didn't I say not to push yourself too much? Honestly." She tipped her head back to see Naruto, "Hey, don't be reckless and use all of the energy you have left. Just use enough to make sure that its safe to finish the seals up."

She nodded, confused as to what she was really doing other than shoving her chakra into the small, thin piece of paper. As she continued to push in her glowing blue chakra, Naruto couldn't help but wonder what the box was.

And, after a minute of the task, Naruto realized a familiar scent in the air. A scent she knew all to well in the battlefield. And once she became aware of it, the smell became more and more prominent; so much that she wondered how on earth she hadn't realized before. A chill shuddered its way up her spine.

_Blood._ Lots of it.

Oh god. _Ohgodohgodohgod, _a silent scream pierced her mind when it came to her. What was really inside that tiny, _tiny, _so deceivingly innocent box. Konan seemed to realize the sudden paleness of Naruto's face, and immediately pulled the little girl away. _How could she forget even for a moment that this little child was still _five_? _"It's enough, Naruto. Go with Yahiko and Nagato_ー_they're bringing Jiraiya-sensei and Kushina-san back to the tower."

The small Uzumaki numbly nodded, eyes still wide with horror, and walked to the solemnly waiting men. Halfway through the walk back, Naruto managed to regain some of her composure and think properly.

She avoided anything related to the man inside the_ー__jutsu, _and pondered silently on something else. It seemed that her emotions and mind was also affected by her five year old state, and not only her appearance. She guessed that made some sense, since it would be impossible to have a mature, full sixteen year old mind cramped inside a child's body.

She could live with it. Even if gruesome things that she had gotten used to before would disturb her greatly from now on.

"Are you alright there?"

Naruto twitched, and raised her head to meet Yahiko's worried gaze. "I'm fine," she barely managed to say without her voice getting too shaky. She took a gulp of air, and continued, "Are they okay?" She indicated who 'they' are by flicking her eyes over Jiraiya and Kushina.

Nagato answered for her. "They are, though Jiraiya has slightly severe chakra exhaustion. It would take him a few days to wake up." He thought for a moment, before stating his estimation. "Three to four days at most."

Yahiko smiled and ruffled her spiky bangs. "You did well today. If it wasn't for you, Kushina-san, and Jiraiya-sensei, I probably wouldn't be alive."

She now copied his smile, and it gradually grew larger. The stress that had previously tensed up her shoulders left, relaxing her posture. Nagato seemed relieved at this, and he feigned disinterest while commenting. "We should have a celebratory feast tonight."

"Yeah, we should!" The orange haired man whooped. "Any suggestions?"

"Ramen," came Naruto's instant reply.

A pause, before Yahiko barked with laughter, "Sure, sure! Oh, and we should do some fishing! Look, the clouds are clearing up!" Nagato did, and a ghost of a smile was on his face.

"Amegakure's been having a good weather recently, hasn't it? Today in particular."

* * *

"They're coming back in two weeks' time! The Hokage said so~!" Minato sung happily, skipping, oblivious to the graffiti all over his back and face. "Naruto and Kushina are coming back!"

The newspaper obscuring Sakumo's figure shook suspiciously, as the Hatake peeked from above it. Kakashi knew immediately that his father was trying to hold back from laughing his lungs out. "Oh really?" Sakumo asked lightly, not actually seeing the vigorous nodding and instead focusing on the lovely art drawn all over the other man.

Kakashi thought of a great idea just then. He pretended to look as if he remembered something, and turned to Minato. "I think my homeroom teacher wanted to talk to you about Naruto. Seems urgent."

"He knows what that word means?"

Sakumo nodded, "I used it a lot with the ANBU messengers."

"Ah." Minato patted the boy's head, grinning, "Okay, I'll go see what that teacher needs, then!" He trotted out of the house and down the public streets, still oblivious to the reactions of the people around him.

When Minato entered the classroom, he did not expect to be greeted with twenty-one stares directed towards him, and he did _not _expect the owners of those said stares to explode with laughter. The teacher, who had apparently been hosting a meeting with the parents of _another _class, was reduced to slamming his desk, finding the state of his sempai too hilarious to resist.

He didn't know what was going on, but Minato fled from the room anyways.

* * *

At the Akatsuki's announcement of winning the battle with Hanzo, the village roared with happiness and cheers. The sun got out from hiding and shone the large crowds, a pleasant and rare sight to see around these areas. Finally, Yahiko told them, there will be no more hunger, no more violence amongst the village, and no more suffering.

The grins on the little children's faces melted Naruto's heart, and she had on a cheesy grin of her own. She turned to her mother, who held her hand tightly, and then looked up at Jiraiya. He had finally woken up on the third day of rest, immediately asking for water in a raspy voice. She had to admit, Naruto found it rather funny to see Jiraiya so rustled up_ー_especially with his hair all over the place.

"We couldn't have done it without these three," Yahiko said, waving his arm over to them with a smile, "and if it hadn't been for them, Konoha, not all of the founders of the Akatsuki would be here, standing in front of you all.

"With their warnings, we stopped Hanzo's ambush from happening, and now we plan on freeing this village, Amegakure, from its tightly bound chains!"

Another round of whoops and cheers erupted, and it overwhelmed Naruto greatly, reminding her of the time after she talked to Nagato, when Konoha welcomed her as she was held on Kakashi's back. Nostalgia and longing took over her features for a moment, before she caught herself and resumed her normal, wide grin.

While she thought no one had noticed, one did. Kushina couldn't stop the sense of grief and regret from bubbling up at seeing such a look on her daughter's face. Clenching her jaw, the woman grasped Naruto's small, perfect hand.

At the girl's innocent, shining smile, Kushina only tightened her grip.

* * *

"Doing some advanced origami making now, are we?" Kushina asked lightly, a grin on her lips as she took the open seat next to Konan, who nodded in a greeting. "I haven't really had the chance to say this before, but your fighting style is really gorgeous."

"Thank you," the usually stoic woman said with a rare smile. "Would you like to try? I can show you how to make a rose." She passed the stack of colorful, glittering square papers across the table toward her, and Kushina took one gingerly.

"I was never really elegant or feminine, so I guess that this would help." The red-haired woman laughed, "Especially since I'm being taught by the epitome of grace itself!"

Konan's lips settled into an amused smile, shaking her head at the compliment. "You're elegant as well, Kushina-san, even if you don't realize it." Before the other woman could reject her words, Konan held a lavender colored paper, "Shall we begin?"

Kushina followed the Ame kunoichi's hands and successfully folded her origami paper well. They made intricate roses, cranes, and lotus flowers. Konan watched her with a thoughtful gaze, and broke the silence. "You're quite the fast learner; and almost all the creations you made were folded perfectly." Kushina turned slightly red and scratched the back of her head with a grin at the praise.

"Why, thank you! This is actually pretty relaxing_ー_I could really get used to this." She gently piled up her handiwork to the side and leaned forward, resting her chin on a palm. A knowing smirk curled her lips as her dark blue eyes gazed up at the other woman. "So... when are you and Yahiko-san getting together, hm?"_  
_

Konan widened her eyes, opening and closing her mouth as she tried to think of what to say. "I-I'm sorry?" She stuttered, even though she knew full well of what Kushina had asked.

Oh, the little lady was just so cute when embarrassed! Kushina grinned, "I saw the way you two looked at each other, and how you're practically on cloud nine when talking to him alone_ー_I just happened to be there, by the way, helping out at the kitchen." She paused, taking in the increasing blush on Konan's cheeks, smirking again. "You two are killing me with all the fluffiness in the air. Oh, are you two together already? That would make sense, huh?"

Uncharacteristically, the young woman nodded timidly, but a small, almost unnoticeable smile on her face. Talking with Kushina was rather fun. Maybe it was because she had been mostly surrounded by boys throughout most of her life? It wasn't like there weren't any kunoichis in the Akatsuki; quite the opposite really, and they were quite formidable. It was just that she supposed she had an atmosphere that practically screamed, 'don't waste my time!' if they didn't know her well enough. "We have, though we keep quiet about it when we work, of course. But... were we that... obvious?"

Kushina had on a Cheshire grin, "No, it was probably just because of my superb sixth sense!"

Konan decided not to tell the slightly older woman that having a sixth sense meant you can sense supernatural beings. "Right..." When she looked up at Kushina's face, laughter escaped from her lips, much to both women's surprise. Instead of abruptly stopping, however, Konan let it out. How long has it been since she last laughed like this? Now that she thought about it, the other woman wasn't much older_ー_a couple of years at most.

She only laughed harder when Kushina began to laugh as well, when it was obvious she didn't know exactly why. Being with her was like taking a breath of fresh air. "I guess it _is _true when people say laughter is contagious," Kushina said, grinning with slightly red cheeks from cracking up so much.

Konan smiled, listening with interest as Kushina began talking about herself.

In another room, Yahiko watched Naruto continuously feed the silent pup, finding amusement at how it resisted stubbornly, until finally succumbing to the temptation. The little girl's eyes sparkled, face brightening up instantly, and pampered him with more treats. "Hey, Yahiko-niichan?"

Said man blinked in surprise at being called before smiling. "Yes, Naruto?"

"What's his name?"

He paused, blinking once again. "We never really did give him a name, now that I thought about it."

"What! That's_ーall _living things should have a name!" Naruto huffed, looking down at the dog seeking agreement. "Can I name him, then?"

"Sure, be my guest."

Naruto grinned down at the dog and picked it up, apparently oblivious to his growling. "Well, since he's so tiny_ー_" the growling got louder, "_ー_how about Chibi?"

Chomp.

"_OWWWW!_"

When Naruto yanked her hand away and clutched it in pain, she missed the way Yahiko had widened his eyes at the name. It was the same one of the puppy he, Nagato, and Konan had taken care of as children. With a grin, he ruffled the blonde's hair. "Well, Chibi it is, then."

* * *

"So... mind telling me why you haven't contacted me all this time?" Jiraiya asked as he leaned against the door frame, partly serious, though his voice did have some lightness in it; meaning he wasn't upset, just curious. "I would have marked you three dead, you know. Since I heard nothing from you guys."

Nagato frowned, before stacking away his papers and facing the man. "Well, first off," he said rather dryly, "We didn't know where you were, and knew that you traveled quite a lot."

"Oh, right." Jiraiya chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm staying at Konoha for the next few months though, so when you're dying to hear from me you can send a message within that time period; probably four months at most. And if I'm gone by then Naruto can send it for you using the toad summons."  
"Alright, we'll be sure to write, then."

Jiraiya thought for a moment, "Ah, that's right, the Hokage wanted to form an alliance between Konoha and Ame." He grinned down at the wide eyed redhead, "Does it sound alright with you?"  
"It will be our pleasure to have Konohagakure as our ally, but would that be fine with _their _leader? Amegakure is, though I do not like to admit it, rather weak at the moment, and won't be much help to Konoha during this war."

The white haired man scowled, "I thought you knew better than that, Nagato. What do you think is the main reason he wants to have an alliance between countries?" Jiraiya sighed heavily. "Of course, power for the Nation is important, but isn't uniting the shinobi villages, thus the world, a better goal?"  
"So he's having this alliance for peace, then?" Nagato asked in confirmation, not being able to hide away the sliver of hope in his voice at the prospect of having his lifelong dream fulfilled.

"Of course. It's meaningless to go off and kill our own kind, isn't it? Just because they're assembled on a land far from us?" Jiraiya scoffed, "If you look at it that way, it's pretty stupid."

Nagato nodded, his face lighter than it had been before when he was working furiously on his job. Talking to his_ーformer__ー_teacher always did brighten up his day, especially when they talked about their dreams of world peace. "They probably all realized it too, at some point in their time, before it was stashed away again at the pain from losing a loved one." He knew the feeling all too well. Witnessing his parents being killed by Konoha ninja had clouded his vision, and he didn't register the fact that it was all an accident, of course. The hatred and pain overwhelmed him to the point he had no idea what he was doing, nor could he recall what he ended up doing.

Shaking his head to clear the unpleasant memories, he leaned back on his chair. Jiraiya walked to him, a sheet of paper in hand. "Here's the form for the alliance. Once both parties sign, both villages will be friends. Happily ever after."

Scoffing in amusement, Nagato took it and read through briefly before signing the line at the bottom. "Is this all I have to do?" He asked, surprised.

"Well, usually you'd have to go on countless, boring meetings, but since the two villages are too far we'll settle with sending messenger birds or summons_ー_which reminds me; I have to place a seal around here so one of my toads would reach you. Birds aren't very reliable during war, after all."

Nagato stared as Jiraiya skipped off to find a place to slam his now seal covered hand against.

* * *

Clutching her bag's left strap with her hand and using the other to wave goodbye to the Akatsuki, Naruto grinned. Her hairpin reflected the sun, which again wasn't hiding behind clouds much to everyone's pleasure. She had hugged the life out of the three Ame orphans already, so now she, Jiraiya and Kushina were about to set off for their travel back to their home.

As they walked down the path, free from the heavy guarding system they had encountered upon entering the village, Naruto pondered briefly on how the people back in Konoha were doing.

No one noticed the dog silently trotting after the three Leaf ninjas.

* * *

And chapter eight is finally done! Did it seem rushed? I tried to get it all in one chapter so it wouldn't be too much of a disappointment, but did it backfire? DX  
Yeah, you know what, don't listen to any of my promises and just hope that I can update as fast as I can. Sorry for the late updates! But I think I found a balanced schedule of posting up a chapter every three weeks_ー_Of course, I'll try to get them done earlier than that.

Originally, I was going to post this chapter with just 4000 ish words last saturday, but it felt far too short and abrupt. Sorry about that... and it's not like this chapter was as long as the last, either (about three hundred words too short)... I'll try to reach 7500 for the next chapter, but, again, no promises!

And, as always, thank you all very much for the support!

TheNSIGirl TvT... O.O... D-Don't worry! I won't give up this story! Ever! (T 0 T)ノ Thanks for the review!

PervertAnimeOtaku Thanks! Sorry it was late!

Oenix I'm super happy you think so! I was worried about the pacing and how I'm making Naruto look... Thanks for the review!

ShadowRealmTriforce Haha, doesn't he? And I'll try to speed things up without rushing too much, so hang in there! xD

pizzafan123 Thanks! Sorry yet again for another late update... I'm glad you liked the last chapter!

Theia Pallas Thank you very much for the review! How was this chapter? Was it disappointing? Too rushed? Ahhh the paranoia is getting me (probably right, too)~! Thank you for being so understanding TvT

Shikuroaka Heh, you're welcome, and thanks for reviewing! Haha, I can just see the two counterparts meeting! I'm glad you're happy about the last chapter! I adore the dog now (because of a _certain_ anime)! Yeah, sorry about the late chapter once again... updating every three weeks would probably become the schedule from now on (I'll try to update quicker though). Thanks for the support as always!

Tsume Yuki Thank you very much for the review! I'm happy you like him! xD

Animefreak Amii Thanks for being so understanding TvT Did I put him into the chapter enough? It was pretty hard finding a reason more to, so I kinda gave up... D: Thank you very much again! XD

Quoted (Guest) Haha, you're welcome, and thank _you _for reviewing! Yeah, keeping up grades is hard... T^T Sorry for the late update!

Sora Tsuiki THANK YOU VERY MUCH. Sorry, it wasn't the two weeks I promised _again. _I suck, don't I? Yeah... and I still haven't done my homework... Again, thanks always for your awesome reviews!

Shelbylol (Guest) Thanks! Yes, I know, I'll be including that part in this story seeing as by the time the Kyuubi attack time happens in this story that would be common knowledge. So yes, I plan on using the Tobi=Obito part in this fanfic. I think you'll be surprised with how I handle it (or, I hope ^^"). Well, thanks for the review again!

Omodor Actually, that's exactly what I plan to do, maybe in the epilogue or something. I'm sorry, I don't know ones where she does become a teacher! Thank you for the review!

Mcnitra Thanks! Well, here you go :)

mugu Thank you very much for writing all of that! I'm very happy you took the time! Actually, it is still war time (around the middle of it) now in this story, though you are right about the part where the kids were kinda too mature... But I hope the war thing can account for that... And no, Mikoto isn't pregnant at around this time. By the time the Kyuubi Attack in cannon happens, Itachi is six, and Naruto and Kakashi will be about fourteen to fifteen years old. Which means Itachi would be born when they are eight/nine... You might want to study back on the timeline (you can search it up easily in .com, and it actually gets fun when reading XD). I actually wasn't thinking of RaynexHatake when I was writing the fighting scene or thought it up, but the idea might have been unconsciously triggered by it ^^" Also, I believe it can also be killer intent, by the way. Thanks for the praises, and sorry everything's so cramped and jumbled up in this one paragraph!

ChaosIdeals Thanks! I'm glad you're happy with it! XD

And... did anyone notice the similarity between Chibi and a certain dog from a certain anime that ended just recently? XD

Also, finally, should I start putting the responses to the reviews and author note at the top so you guys won't be disappointed at how short the chapter really is?


	10. Chapter Nine

It wasn't until the third time an inn had shooed them away did they realize that something was odd. Kushina had on a terrible scowl, Jiraiya was looking absolutely sour, and Naruto was stomping her feet in terrible impatience. What did the staff mean by 'no dogs allowed'? Did they _look _like a _mutt?_

Going almost to the other side of town they finally found another hotel, and, this time, Jiraiya followed the direction the receptionist was looking at. A black blur flashed behind Naruto and Kushina the moment he moved his head towards them, and the man squinted his eyes.

Was that a stubby, furry _tail _peeking out from behind Naruto's knees?

Slowly, he leaned over, and noticed black hind legs with white paws. He went over to Naruto's other side ignoring her questioning gaze, and stared back at the blue eyes of Chibi.

Jiraiya's mind went blank. His jaw fell slack.

"_Why on_ _earth did that _thing_ follow us!_"

* * *

Once they returned the sun had started to set. Jiraiya immediately trotted off to the Hokage, telling Naruto and Kushina to go inform Minato that they've returned, since surely the man could probably not survive even a few more minutes without them.

Naruto skeptically pondered his words, but Kushina merely nodded in complete agreement. "I wouldn't put it past him to overreact like last time," she said distantly, eye twitching at a certain memory. Shaking her head, she looked down at her daughter, "We'll have to buy some groceries; I'm sure he's gone off weeping to Sakumo-san's place, so the house will be deprived of food."  
Naruto followed her, still disbelieving that her cool father could ever act... _uncool._ Definitely unthinkable.

When they were in front of the grocery store, the two were left gaping at the sight of it _packed _with housewives. Sale signs were pasted all over and littered on the floor as well, currently being stomped on by the fat ladies. "This will be rather troublesome." Kushina sighed in irritation, "You'll have to wait at the playground, alright? Only people with experience can go through this without a scratch, and it's been a while since I've entered _this _type of battlefield."

Naruto watched in shear horror while her mother flew herself into the crowd, and she was _sure _she saw a glint of a kunai before a few women's aprons dropped on the floor. She fled from the scene, trying to block off the banshee-like screeches and pig-like squeals.

Were Sakura and Ino involved in the mob? Them travelling back in time to buy some cheap food seems like a plausible idea.

The smile of nostalgia twisted into a face of longing before she shook her head violently. "Dammit," she muttered, kicking a small rock out of her path. Moping on about it wouldn't help, she knew that, but it was almost impossible to shove away the loneliness she felt.

She wondered what would have happened had she not gone back in time. Would they have won the war? Or would the Moon Eye Plan be activated after she falls? What were they doing now, when Naruto was stuck in the past? Was it still stretching on? Or was time completely stopped for that dimension?

The words in Naruto's mind were starting to not make any sense, and to a random person it would have been downright confusing. _But it's not like a random person would peek into my thoughts, _she said inwardly with a shrug.

Naruto glanced back, and her brow twitched in annoyance. The dog she glared at innocently cocked his head to the side, but she _knew _the little puppy was smirking in its little mind. Sighing, she walked to the playground as Kushina told her to, realizing that it's been a while since she's gone to the swings. Chibi was going to follow her, she knew even without looking back. What confused her was why it was doing that.

Didn't Chibi hate her? So why is he following her like a... cute little puppy? She had to admit, it reminded her so much of twelve year old Sasuke for some reason; him being so silently stubborn.

Swinging back and forth, she noticed a soft, barely noticeable sob. Curiosity and worry pulled her towards it. Pushing away the leaves and branches of various bushes, Naruto saw him.

A little boy, maybe a year or so younger than herself, hunched up against a tree alone. His arms wrapped tightly around his legs, head down making his face hidden from her, the boy's shoulder's shook violently as sobs escaped.

What was she supposed to do? How was she supposed to help? When she had been the one doing the crying when she was his age; never the comforter, which, like this boy right in front of her, she didn't have. "UmーAre you alright?"

The kid flinched, clearly not expecting someone to see him like this. The black haired boy raised his head to peek up at the blonde, his coal eyes rimmed red. "Who're you?" Naruto took note of how his voice cracked; he must have been trying to keep quiet for quite a long time.

Biting her lip, she tried to give off a relaxed smile as she crouched down in front of him. "Uzumaki Naruto. And? You are?"

He furiously wiped his tears away, muttering his name. She tried to lean forward when she couldn't hear him, but her attention was then caught by the paper clutched tightly in small, pale hands. Naruto saw the underlined red '32' and immediately knew what it was; she had seen it enough times a longtime ago. "Are you crying 'cause of your test scores?" She asked softly.

He flinched and shoved his face in his arms, not giving an answer.

Naruto watched the pitiful boy, before shaking away memories the sight brought. No point in thinking back to fragments of the past. "Well, what are you sulking down here for? You should be fixing your mistakes so you wouldn't fail next time, right?"

She took the paper gently so she wouldn't rip it, but luckily his grip had slackened.

"You're a ninja?" He asked hesitantlyーno, _weakly. _Naruto frowned, wondering what made him sound so. Fingering the Konoha emblem on her forehead with a vague smile, she nodded.

"Only for a while. After today I would be a normal academy studentーnot for long though! I'm going to take the exams." Realizing she was starting to ramble, Naruto laughed sheepishly. "How old are you? I'm five."

"Same."

Blinking, Naruto grinned, "Cool!" She looked down at the questions. Her eyes widened, and she whipped her head up to see him, "You're also in the academy? Why didn't you tell me?"

He finally lifted his head, and for some reason stubbornly looked at another direction. "You didn't ask."

To his surprise, she merely said, "Oh. I guess you're right about that."

"You're not gonna blow up?"

"...Huh?"

"You know... girls blow up all the time."

"What kind of stereotype is that?" Naruto asked in annoyance, huffing.

"Stero-type?"

"Never mind." She sighed, annoyed at the boy's limited vocabulary (of course, it wasn't his fault, but she didn't bother to register that). "So I'm guessing that you're in the other class?"

"Yeah."

Naruto hummed thoughtfully. That meant he was with the younger bunch, the ones close to her and Kakashi's age. She and Kakashi, as well as Mika, Shizuka, and Genma, were separate because the five could catch up with the older generations and the advanced classes. Thus, the five were put into the "big kids group."

Truthfully, Naruto had only learnt of this right before going on the mission to Rain, seeing as she said she didn't require a school tour and that this academy was quite different from her time's academy. The younger grade, class A, would start and end an hour after them and the schedules were different, which is why she seldom saw any students around her age. Not to mention that the advanced grade, class E, were on the second floor while class A were on the first.

She was called out of her thoughts by the young raven's voice, "So you're smart? 'Cause you're in the big kids class." He continued, eyes now curious. "I heard about you. There were rumors that you were a spy in disguise, and just came to the academy for Hokage-sama to know how it is around the place."

"Oh really?" Naruto simply replied, rummaging her small pouch to find a writing tool. What she got out was a short, blunt pencil, but it will have to do. She tossed it to him. "Here. Correct your mistakes." She then passed the test after she quickly skimmed through it, laughing lightly at his pout. "I'll come by your class to give you some of my old notes so you can check if the answers tomorrow. Just try your best, okay?"

The boy's eyes widened, tears forming. She laughed, "Don't be a crybaby! And you should really pay attention in classーI _know _you don'tーsince that helps you prepare for a test. You won't have to study too much that way." He nodded, vigorously at the last part. After he started working on his test, Naruto blinked, realizing she didn't get his name.

She was about to ask, until a sharp pain pierced her head.

Naruto bit back a cry, and clutched her head, trying to keep silent as to not worry the boy. Trying to return her harsh breathing back to normal, she forced a smile, "I'll be going back now. I'll see you tomorrow, 'kay?"

"Yup, thanks, Naruto-chan!" He grinned, oblivious to her pain.

"Mm." She got up carefully, but nausea still made her sway a little. She smiled it off, and waved him goodbye.

When she walked away, she realized the puppy, Chibi, wasn't there. _Probably got sick of following me. _Sighing, she tried to nurse her now giant headache by rubbing her temples, but the constant pounding in her ears was making it hard.

Eventually, without realizing it, she had wondered off to an alleyway. Slumping and sliding down against the dusty wooden wall, Naruto groaned, eyelids growing heavy.

**'Don't you dare sleep.' **The Nine Tails growled, but he was barely heard in her mind. She was too exhausted. **'Damn you, brat! Always so problematic...'**

When Naruto's consciousness was slipped away, Kurama took over.

* * *

Kushina let out a breath of relief at the sound of the doorbell and ran off to get it.

Practically throwing the door open, she was close to yelling. "Naruto, where on _earth _have you been?" She frowned at the girl and her lack of response. "Naruto? What's wrong?"

Belatedly, the fiery woman noticed the defined whisker marks on the child's face. Kushina's eyes widened, and immediately she held Naruto's face to see blue eyesーor what _should _have been blue eyes.

In the place of sapphire orbs, there were bloody crimson, demonic eyes piercing their annoyed gaze back at her. **"What are you standing here for? Go fetch me some water, Uzumaki."**

As if owning the place, the Kyuubi-possessed Naruto plopped down on the couch, one leg crossed over the other, arms folded in front of herー_his, _in this caseーchest.

Kushina was absolutely confused.

Nonetheless, she went off to get a cup of water from the kitchen with a scowl. She _loathed _being ordered around, and that fox should know it too. _Damn that fox! _All but slamming the cup on the coffee table, she rested her hands on her hips and glared. "Hurry up and go back inside your cage, Kyuubi."

Said demon raised a blonde brow. **"Me taking over this body is saving Naruto from any more pain at the moment. Do you honestly believe it would be so wise to, as you say, 'go back inside my cage'?" **He scoffed. **"This is why Uzumaki women are all foolー" **He growled when she shoved the cup of ice water into his face.

_Thank god Minato was still in Sakumo's house._ "Shut up, Fox." She glared at him, retorting back heatedly, "We _foolish _Uzumaki women have kept you as an unwanted pet in our guts, locked up tight."

Kyuubi rose a blonde brow, before huffing. **"I'm here, talking to you know, am I not? Your definition of 'tight' is clearly out of date." **Yawning loudly, he slowly blinked in boredom. **"As much as I love being free again, your presence here is highly unpleasant. The Sandaime should have some free time for Naruto so I'll be going back inside that filthy cage as you wish, Habanero."**

He missed the way her hair became spiky, much like a cat's fur when angered, or how her nose flared as he slipped back inside Naruto's mindscape. Kurama silently observed the metal bars, already in where he's supposed to be.

They were beginning to rot away; where it touched the lukewarm water was rusted, and some parts of the ugly-brown metal were flaking off. **_"So it starts now, does it?__"_**He scowls. This was why he warned Naruto beforehand; so the memory seal won't cause so much trouble. Grumbling about old geezers who don't know what they were doing, Kurama used his long, sharp claws to scrape more of the rotting metal off.

One good thing that came out of the, as Naruto likes to call it, Age Sucker and memory seal was that they were breaking down the fuuin keeping him squeezed inside the stupid cageーHe wasn't going to take over the girl's body. He wanted out merely because then he would be able to effectively stop Naruto from doing anything stupid. One of the multiple _bad _things that came out of them, though, was that the distorted chakra they use would contaminate the water he is currently sitting on.

Or at least, that was what he vaguely thought would occur, which it did for the memory seal. The fox didn't know whether or not he was right about the Age Sucker, seeing as it was gotten rid of rather quickly. The other seal probably showed faster effects because it was closest to his captor's brain.

Other than those he pointed out in his head, the Nine Tails didn't know anything else.

And, because he didn't know anything else, Kurama laid back on his stomach ignoring the contaminated water around him. He touched it and nothing has happened so it should be fine, the fox demon decided.

* * *

Minato's eyes shone with tears when they saw them. "KUSHINA-CHWAAAN!" He flashed towards her, oblivious to her pale face. "I'm home!"

"Isn't that my line?" Kushina said, trying to let out a small laugh to no avail. the fox's appearance earlier was too heavy on her. "How were you?"

"Good, good, I was totally fine with both of you and Jiraiya-sensei ditching me." Minato said with a wave of his hand, when she clearly knew that he was lying. He skipped around with a idiotic smile on his face, "Anyways, where's Naruto? Where's my little sunshine? Naruto? Narutoooo?"

"Quiet down, Minato." Kushina finally laughed, amused at how he was acting. "She was... exhausted from the trip, so she's in her room sleeping."

"Whaaat. That's not fair." He pouted, eyes wide like a puppy's, before he finally took notice of Kushina's appearance. His face grew serious then, his previous playful mood was gone and replaced with worry. "Are _you _tired? You don't have to stay up awake for me, you know that, right?"

"Oh, no, I'm fine, just..." She trailed off, before smiling again. "It's nothing, just an unpleasant meeting with someone."

He eyed her skeptically, but didn't say anything. Going to the kitchen, he asked, "How about a cup of hot tea? I think I bought a box that relieves you of stress or something."

She nodded gratefully, "That would be nice."

* * *

"Let's see... where is he?" She scanned the classroom, ignoring the curious stares and eyes of recognition. "Um... Black hair and eyes... there's a whole bunch of guys with the same features..."

"AH! Naruto-chan! You really came!" The boy she remembered from yesterday came bounding to her with excitement, and she couldn't help but giggle.

"Of course, a promise is a promise." She passed him the notebook, "Here it is. It should have everything in there, so you better study it!"

She left the room saying goodbye, and immediately the whole class jumped on the black-haired boy.

"Woah, woah! Isn't she the prodigy that got into the big kids group with Kakashi-kun on the first day of school?" A random girl squealed, and a boy this time pushed him.

"No way! So you got all of her notes? Show me!"

"Hey, me too!"

"I call dibs!"

The teacher entered the classroom, irritated with all the noise, "Get back to your seats!"

"Hai, Haai..." The class scowled at him, but complied with the order grudgingly. Clutching the notebook in his small hands, the little black haired boy grinned.

A brunette on his right nudged him, "Hey, how did you get to know her? The girl from before. 'Naruto' right?" Her eyes sparkled with excitement and she looked at the book curiously.

"Oh, I met her by accident yesterday, and she kinda saw my test score... so..."

"You're so lucky, Obito! I would do anything to get my hands on the advanced class's notes!"

Obito grinned, and looked through the pages. "Woah, this is stuffed with tons of writing! And they're so easy to read..."

Rin nodded with awe, "Her handwriting's so pretty," she giggled when she spotted the drawings at the corners of every page. "What is that?"

"Stones with sticks glued on it? I don't get it at all..." He scratched his head and turned to the girl, "It looks like my luck's finally turned around, Rin! I'll be the best student here with this!"

When Naruto arrived and opened the classroom's door, she didn't expect to be glomped by a wailing orange-haired Mika or pale blond Kippei. "Um, I'm back?"

"Where were you?! We were worrying where our little brat has gone!" Kippei ruffled the jinchuuriki's hair roughly with a grin, not realizing that he was more of a brat than her.

"We really, really, really, _really _missed you, you know? We've been waiting for weeks and weeks and _weeks!_" Mika bawled, "It was never the same without you!"

Naruto grinned and laughed, loving the warmth of the class. "Sorry about that." She stopped craning her neck to see the two's faces and instead looked around. "Where's the others?"

"Right here," Genma's drawling voice called, and Naruto noticed Shizuka trailing after him while packing away her pencil case. "Where were you?"

"Hm, oh, I was travelling with my mom..." She replied distractedly, still trying to find someone. "Say, where's, Kakashi?"

Shizuka cringed at the mere mention of the name. "About that kid, we should tell you first thatー"

"Out of the way!" Naruto widened her eyes when somethingーsome_oneー_crashed painfully against her side.

Groaning, she pushed off the ground using her hands. She felt sticky, and noticed the bright pink paint on her new orange khaki pants. She whirled around, fully intent on growling at the bull. "Watch where you're goー" Her eyes grew round again at the sight of silver, gravity-defying hair. "_Kakashi?!_"

* * *

"I said _sorry_ afterwards, didn't I?" The five year old boy snapped, annoyed at how she kept badgering him about the event this morning. Naruto still huffed, glaring down at him. They, along with Genma, Shizuka and Mika who were watching, were hanging around at the academy, even though the classes for the day had already ended.

Mika grinned, "I'm sure you had been really surprised, huh, Naruto?"

"Of course I have! Of all people, why did _Kakashi _turn into a pranking freak?"

The Hatake grew red in mortification. "I did not! It's... it's training!"_  
_

"Uh huh, sure, I believe youーnot!" Naruto stuck her tongue out at him. "How can splashing paint all over the teacher's room be _training_?"

"That orange baboon was the one who told me it was a good idea!"

Mika's face turned into a tomato with rage at what she was called. "Excuse me? I didn't say you _had _to do it! You were the one who still continued to do it because you _liked _it!"_  
_

"It's fine as long as you join the dark side, Kakashi-kun." Naruto said with unhidden joy. And, not realizing the irony in her words, she said, "You finally see the light of things!"

Naruto couldn't stop grinning. Recently a lot of great things happened. Ame had immediately gotten on great terms with Konoha now that the issue of Hanzo was settled, and Kakashi's cold, stoic interior seems to have toned down somewhat. Not to mention that she met a new friend. Plus the warm welcome she received from everyone. It was almost scary, as if something bad would happen, and this was just the calm before the storm.

Naruto shook her head. Her thoughts alone could become a jinx, and she didn't want that.

"I've been wondering, but," Shizuka began, and she drew everyone's attention to what she was staring at by pointing her finger. "Naruto, do you know that dog?"

"Huh?" Naruto searched for a moment before her eyes landed on Chibi. "WhatーWhat is he doing here?!"

"I was thinking of telling you earlier, but it's been staring at you for the past fifteen minutes."

* * *

"Hello there, Naruto." Hiruzen then spotted the lingering dog behind her. "Hm? Did you get a new pet?"

"Oh, him?" The blonde scowled. "Chibi's been following me ever since he got to know me better in Ame. He was originally a stray puppy the Akatsuki found, but I think Chibi got attached to me."

The Hokage seemed amused. "Really?"

"Yeah!" Naruto huffed, before pausing. "It's weird though. He wasn't around for a whole day after I talked to a boy, but he suddenly came up to the Academy, waiting for me. I don't even know how he got there."

His eyes grew sharp, but he didn't say anything. "Well, how's that seal coming along?"

"About that..." She explained the headaches and what Kyuubi told her, previous irritation gone. She cringed as the Hokage's eyes became saddened and guilty with every word she said; it wasn't his fault. He had only done it for her so she could keep all of her sacred memories.

"I see..." Much like during her original childhood in the future, when the Hokage looked at her with such a solemn, regretful gaze, Naruto hated it. Now, though, was for a different reason. Before, she didn't know why he gave her such a face whenever she cried from the villager's hateful words. "I'm sorry; I should have checked that seal before using it... I'm very sorry, Naruto."

"I-It's fine! Really! The old fox wants me to get it off as soon as possible, that's all!" Naruto grinned, ignoring the small, gradually increasing headache. _What lousy timing... _"So can it be done anytime soon? Removing it?"

"Oh yes, I'll get it off right now." Hiruzen immediately got out of his seat, guiding the girl out of the door and through the corridors. "What's more of a concern now is how we should deal with your memories. It will be a problem if this seal and the one before still has aftereffects."

"So I'll have to get a new one...?" Naruto asked hesitantly, dreading the idea.

"Not necessarily; there's a much safer option I thought we could do, but you might not like it."

She blinked, "If it's safe, why will I not like it?" The blonde paused for a moment, thinking. "Is it painful?"

The village leader finally stopped at one old door that Naruto remembered as the one she used before to put on the seal on her forehead. "No, not at all; in fact, you'll be sleeping through it."

Sleeping through it? Why did she get the feeling he wasn't just talking about the preparation and placing of the seal?

"Alright, then, shall we get started?" He cut in, pulling out a scroll from a dusty drawer. "I believe this should be it."

Naruto didn't say anything, but thought with a perplexed face. The moment he suggested vaguely what they could do about her memories, she noticed something was off. _Why do I think that? _She pursed her lips, furrowing her brows. Of course she could trust him. He was her grandfather in all but blood.

"Hokage-jiーsama, about the idea you gotー"

The last thing she saw before falling into her dreams was Hiruzen Sarutobi's sad eyes.

_"You'll have to put up with me until this is all over. I'm sorry, Naruto."_

* * *

Blue eyes slowly opened, before screwing shut again. Her throat was dry. She registered the steady beeping sounds and voices getting louder. It smells funny. Like the smells in hospitals, when you go see the doctors.

Again, cautiously, she opened her eyes, waiting for them to focus. The yellow, red, white, and silver blurs turned into the worried faces of five people.

"Naruto!" The red-haired woman frantic voice cried, as she held onto the girl. "Thank god! Are you okay? Does it hurt anywhere?"

The blond tried to calm the her down, "Kushina, Kushina, you're scaring her."

"Butーbut Minato! It's been _four days! _The Hokage hasn't told us _anything _as to how she ended up here, in the Konoha Hospital's bed!"

"Naruto, how do you feel? Do you want some water?" A tall man with silver hair asked, and Naruto noticed the much smaller figure beside him. _Ka... Kakashi? _

She tried to sit up and the man helped her. He placed a cup of water against her lips, and Naruto drank greedily.

Minato sighed in relief, before turning to her. "Do you remember who we are?"

Naruto scanned the faces for a moment, getting her scrambled thoughts together. Her voice croaked, "Tou-chan, Kaa-chan," She gulped, and continued. "Sakumo-sensei, Scarecrow..." Her eyes fell on the final one, a tall man with long, white, spiky hair. She stared at the red lines on either side of his cheeks, scratching to the deepest end of her mind to find his name. _  
_

He frowned, eyes holding panic now as he tried to stop the pounding in his ears. "Naruto...? Could it be that you don't..." When she stared blankly up at him, it was as if something cracked inside him. "My God... What's going on?"

Kushina's eyes rounded in horror.

* * *

**A scene of the next chapter:**

The fiery woman glared at the Hokage, someone she thought of as a young grandfather. Right now, however, she couldn't see an inkling of the man she was close to in him. "What is the meaning of this? Why can't she remember anything about Jiraiya-sama, or anything that has to do with her past?" She clenched her teeth, and tightened her fists. "Don't just sit there! Say something!"

Jiraiya rested a hand on her shoulder, silently telling her to hush down, before looking at his former teacher. "Naruto's heartbeat was going up and down when she was still unconscious. What's going on? What happened to her? Why is she actually believing her made up story of how she lived before coming to this village?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed heavily, closing his eyes. "I made it easier for her."

Kushina grew more and more impatient. "_How_?"

He opened his eyes again, preparing himself for the anger and rage that was sure to come at him.

"I erased the memories she had of anything related to the future."

* * *

**Woah. It's been nearly a month since I've updated.**

I have a logical reason for that though! Issues I had outside the computer world came up, clubs got hectic lately because it was nearly the end of the season (I AM FINALLY RID OF THEM! WHOOT) but now that's all over (I think)! Now there's a time of peace, where nothing would get in the way of my writing except for projects, studying and homework.

And speaking of studying, I'm pretty sure I'll have to do tons of that now, since the next holiday is going to be the **Winter Break! **So that means I'll have tons of studying to do.

But that only takes about two hours of my day, so I'll still probably have time to update quicker.

The next season's clubs only take one day per week if I heard correctly, so... yeah, I might take two weeks now to update rather than three or more.

Right now its the mid-term break. I'll be trying to type up the next chapter, which should be easier now that I have a clear idea of what would happen (I got hit with tons of ideas for this story, so I had to update my plot - scratch that, _rewrite _my plot).

And sorry for the hideously short chapter. I couldn't think of anything else to write (I felt that there were too much events occurring in this one chapter, so...) and I had to rewrite it so many times I got sick of it. I think my English got worse in this chapter, too.

Gah.

My head is a mess.

**Anyways, onto my response to the reviews!**

**ChaosIdeals **Thank you very, very much! I'm glad you think so, and sorry for the late update!

**Theia Pallas **Yup, the pup is Naruto's now. Thanks for the review! And yeah, I think of Minato as a guy who's easily teased... Probably because he was seen as a pansy in Kushina's eyes when they were children...

**Shadow Realm Triforce **You better be worried about Danzo! xD Thanks for the review!

**mugu **Couldn't thank you enough for the many advices. I don't take any offense in them, of course! The fact that you bother to spend time on it really makes me happy (I have a feeling I said this before, but oh well!) Sorry for the many faults in this story;

**Tsume Yuki **Thanks for the kind review, and I'm terribly sorry for the late update (again)!

**Sora Tsuiki **Homework is important~ xD Thanks for the review, and _again, _sorry for another late update! Next time I'll be faster, I promise! This chapter was rushed too, wasn't it? T T ahhh I'm no good. Happy that you find the Minato and Kakashi scenes a great comic relief!

**Zelga Lim Li **Haha, thank you! If you know some good ones, please tell me~

**Shadowblayze **Thanks! You'll have to wait and see xD Sorry for the late update...

**Animefreak Amii **Thank you for loving it and dropping a review! I'm glad you enjoyed it~

**Vivid x Dreams** Thank you so muccho for your long feedback! And it's a relief for _me _that I'm at least doing some things right! And... The dog? 'W' Ufufu~ How about in this chapter?

**Quoted (10/16/12) **Thanks for leaving a review, fellow 14 year old girl, and for reading my bio! I actually don't have time on weekdays so I spend most of my time during weekends typing up the chapters = late updates. And thank you for becoming one of my biggest fans T T wahhh!

**(10/4/12) **Nooo! Please login! I can't address you properly when you review if you don't! (TOT)/ Haha, it's fine~ I know how you feel (but my laziness is more extreme, I bet). Sorry for the late update!

**sandy-ramen-thief **Hehe, thanks for the reviews! I didn't know that there aren't that many stories where Naruto doesn't know she time travelled at the beginning! Sorry for the late update...

**Sithrein **Thank you so much for your feedback and messages! Like I said in my PM, I'll keep your ideas in mind for later!

**CherryPop0120 & qxonewip **Thanks for the review! Sorry for the late update...

**69AnimeFreak69 **I've already sent a reply message to you, but, again, thanks for reviewing!

**Ekizochika Saru **Thanks for the long review! lol, don't worry, I won't kill Obito off (I already have an idea in mind for when that time comes), and I will make sure Naruto is happy in the end. I think what I plan (or already started) doing to her is actually good for her so... would that count? xD Thanks again!

**Thanks for all the feedback, alerts, and faves as always!**


	11. Chapter Ten

The fiery woman glared at the Hokage, someone she thought of as a young grandfather. Right now, however, she couldn't see an inkling of the man she was close to in him. "What is the meaning of this? Why can't she remember anything about Jiraiya-sama, or anything that has to do with her past?" She clenched her teeth, and tightened her fists. "Don't just sit there! Say something!"

Jiraiya rested a hand on her shoulder, silently telling her to hush down, before looking at his former teacher. "Naruto's heartbeat was going up and down when she was still unconscious. What's going on? Why is she believing her made up story of how she lived before coming to this village?"

"I've tried searching all kinds of seals imaginable to help her situation, but nothing had come up." Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed heavily, closing his eyes. "I chose the next best thing to do for her."

Kushina grew more and more impatient. "And what was that?" She snapped, voice clipped.

He opened his eyes again, preparing himself for the anger and rage that was sure to come.

"I erased the memories she had of anything related to the future."

The jinchuuriki's eyes widened in shock, then narrowed in fury. "_What were you thinking_?" She all but yelled, almost hysterical, slamming her hands against his desk.

"Of course, I kept a copy of them inside a scroll and replaced them with fabricated memories of her and her 'sensei', which also means her skills and knowledge not concerning the future are still intact." Sarutobi sighed, turning away towards the wide windows. "It was the most safest and easiest way for her."

Jiraiya cut in before Kushina could, eyes cold. "What do you mean by that? Who's after her?"

"Danzo, of course." The Hokage rubbed his temples tiredly. "He's already made his move, if what I saw from the dog was correct."

"Dog?" Kushina frowned. "Don't tell me... You mean the dog that follows Naruto around? Chibi?"

"Yes, Chibi was its name. It left before I can do anything about the seal on the scruff of its neck." He stood up, walking to one side of the wall. "He underestimated me, that Danzo. It was the same one he had taken a stubborn liking to when we were younger."

"What does it do?"

"It's very much like the Yamanaka clan's famed technique, the Shintenshin no Jutsu, except it can't control anything that can hold a complex thought. So people and summons are out of the question. Basically, all you can really do is see from it's point of view, but the victim isn't aware." He turned back to them, "A seal good for spying, really."

"And peeking," The seriousness of the situation forgotten, Jiraiya drooled at the thought, before shivered at the chilly glare Kushina sent him, "For _research _of course!"

"Hmph," she rolled her eyes and looked back down at the Hokage. "So? What are you going to do about it other than what you have done already?"

"Well, it seems like Danzo's main objective is Naruto which is understandable since, in his eyes, she's the most likely to leak out classified information. Plus, she might turn into a very strong kunoichi in the future." He stood up, "And since I've already solved that by 'openly' showing that I took away her memories, now he'll be aiming for you two."

"Through the dog?" Kushina skeptically asked after he didn't continue. She crossed her arms, annoyed. "I thought that the seal can only show them Chibi's sight. You never said anything about it being able to control him."

"Yes, I never said anything like that, and I'm sure he's aware that I figured out how to get rid of the seal a long time ago." He replied exasperatedly. "Danzo's going to try a different tactic this time, I'm sure. He may even go as far as to resort to violence."

"That miserable rat? I doubt it." Kushina huffed, hateful of the man. The Hokage merely shook his head, unable to say anything to that. The woman had always disliked Danzo, though he knew why; she didn't have a great first impression of him, after all, and first impressions tend to stick with an individual throughout their life if something wasn't done about it.

He activated a seal on the wall, revealing a hidden door. Kushina shared a glance with Jiraiya, confirming that he also didn't know about it.

"Come, it's time we see what happened in the future from Naruto's eyes."

* * *

Minato nodded, and Kushina missed how his eyes narrowed. "I see, so that's what happened. She was merely stressed from the mission, and it had taken a toll on her, am I right?"

"Yeah, that's pretty much what happened." It wasn't exactly a lie; Naruto was stressed from the mission, which also contributed to her four days of unconsciousness. However, that wasn't all, not even close. At least it managed to pull some weight off her shoulders, since she wasn't completely lying. "So all she needs is proper rest."

"Hmm..." Without her noticing, he watched her carefully. "It's odd though."

"What is?"

"Why was she sent on the mission?" He turned away, sitting down on the couch. "Of all people, why an academy student? I know she has something no one else does, but is it so important that the mission can't go on without it?"

She tensed, which didn't go unnoticed by him from the sound of her breathing. "It's... I guess so. That... something, was really important."

"Hmm..."

Now, Kushina noticed he caught onto something. It was only natural, she guessed. After all, this was Namikaze Minato. She needed to keep him distracted, no matter how difficult it proves to be. "So, how does fried rice sound?"

He finally smiled when he looked up at her, "You know I love your cooking no matter what it is."

She laughed, and gave him a light peck on the cheek. The Uzumaki's customary, satisfied smirk was on her lips, knowing that the man had on a flustered, beet-red face.

* * *

Naruto had spent most of her time in the hospital going over her memories of the mission, but Jiraiya and Kushina realized that many bits and pieces of them were cut off. Thankfully she remembered the toad sage, but it took a rather long time to sort everything in her mind out.

Once Naruto was released, Kakashi wouldn't stop sticking by her side. Even in the hospital, he would silently peel her apples, not even bothering to ask if she wants some before stuffing them in her mouth. She didn't know whether to be happy or annoyed with this odd show of care.

"Um... Kakashi? You know I'm alright, right?" She laughed nervously, feeling strangely awkward at how _nice _the boy was being. "You don't have to force yourself."

He merely tugged a lock of her loose hair lightly. She took this as him trying to shut her up.

"... Say something." Pouting when he didn't, she tried saying this time, "Scarecrow."

Still, no reply.

"Scare—"

"How's your head?" He interrupted, and Naruto blinked.

"Oh, it's fine. They said I got knocked out because of all the stress from going to the mission or something," Naruto frowned, brows knit together in thought. "But my memories of it are all kinda blurry..."

The Hatake nodded. He couldn't believe his own eyes when he saw how deathly pale she, the loud, boisterous Naruto, was on the hospital bed. Whenever the adults left the room, he would try to wake her up, squeezing her hand or shaking her shoulder. Naruto's face would crunch up in clear agony at whatever dream she had, and all he could do to help was hold her hand.

It almost made him want to go up to the Hokage and punch him for making her go on the mission.

She gazed up at the Hokage Monument with an odd look in her eyes, something young Kakashi couldn't identify. He barely heard Naruto's whisper, and only caught the end of it. "...weird?"

"What?"

Naruto rubbed her arm subconsciously, brows furrowed. "I... I always have this _feeling_, like something's _off _about that monument." At Kakashi's raised brow, she seemed to be drowning further into her inner turmoil, confusion engulfing her. "It's weird, isn't it? I must be going crazy."

She suddenly shook her head and grinned, before slapping his back. "But enough about that! Staying in the stuffy hospital room got me craving for some dango!" With a skip to her trotting, she dragged him down the streets. "Of course, since I'm broke, you have to pay!"

"Broke?" Noting to search that word up later he scowled, "Why _me_?"

"I said, I don't have any money!"

"I don't have any, either!"

Naruto turned back to him, eyes scrutinizing. After a while, she sighed in disappointment. "You're pretty useless, huh?" Before Kakashi can blow up at that comment, her eyes sparkled as a thought entered her mind. "I know! Hey, let's go have a spar at your house's backyard!"

"Oi, you just got out of theー_Hey!_"

* * *

"That was..." Naruto didn't even have to look up to see the annoyed look on his face.

"I know, it was pathetic." She took in another gulp of air. "I'm pathetic."

"Do four days of rest really make you that weak?"

"Sure looks like it," the blonde sighed miserably as she sat up, exhausted from not even thirty minutes of only taijutsu.

Kakashi hefted himself over to the wooden porch, and flopped down with a loud thump. "Loser has to get the winner a drink and snack."  
Sticking out her tongue, she reluctantly asked, "I just have to go to the right corridor, left, across the living room, and left again, right?"

"Mm."

Rolling her eyes at his answer she grumbled her way to the kitchen. "Why is his house so big? It's just like the Uchiha'sーHuh?"

How did she know that?

"Ugh, something's not right with me today..." Shaking her head, she turned her head back and yelled out, "Kakashi, should I put some ice in?"

"_Yeah, a lot!_"

"If you have that much energy to shout, why not just get it yourself?" She mumbled, looking around at the pictures hung on the walls of the living room. Her eyes landed on one small, framed photo sitting on a coffee table, and she smiled. "Man, his mom really is pretty."

Humming, she went to get two cups of orange juice and ice, before going on her way back to the porch. She was about to pass the picture she saw earlier, until she noticed something about it, just inside the frame. "Hm?"

Taking a closer look, she noticed Sakumo's handwriting, "Hatake... Aww, the ink's smudged..." _But that should be the name of Kakashi's mother_, she thought inwardly.

"What took you so long?" Kakashi asked, irritated, as he was handed his drink. Naruto scowled back.

"Can't a guest have some time to look at the house's pictures?" She sighed, "And there's not a single picture of you and your family together! Plus you always have that mask on!"

"We just don't put them out."

"I guess that's it, but..." Naruto pouted, taking a sip of her drink. "I mean... I wanted to see them..."

He rose a brow.

"... And baby pictures."

He snorted.

"I mean, you could have been cute when you were a baby!" She went on, ranting. "Look at you now! Totally not cute."

Kakashi scowled again. "Well, sorry I'm _totally not cute,_" he quoted, imitating her high pitched voice.

"Hmph! As long as you understand."

He rolled his eyes, and after a while, she spoke again.

"And... I do not sound like that."

He copied her again.

"_Kakashi!_"

* * *

One thing young Kakashi learned, was that the equally young Naruto was a slave driver when it comes to prank-pulling.

"No, you _don't _tie a knot so lazily! You're supposed to make the wire stay for someone to trip over it!"

"No, don't drop the bucket now!"

"Don't crouch like that! It makes running away harder!"

"Timing! Your timing's all wrong!"

It wasn't even _close _to lunch time yet, and Kakashi was already wheezing. How was this... this crafty _menace _the same as his air-headed training partner?

One thing he was sure of, though, was that his pranks have gone up a notch. Even their classmates have noticed.

"Huh, that Uzumaki really is awesome at tricks." One boy said, his voice attracting many others' attention.

"I know, I know," a girl said excitedly, "I'm so glad Naruto-chan never targets us; I wouldn't be able to sleep at night."

"Makes someone wonder where she got all those skills fromーHey, we should invite her when a party comes up." The boy thought for a moment, "Wonder if we're gonna have one any time soon?"

"Totally! Let's have a class party! We're close to graduating, after all." A loud boy announced, earning many nods and pleased squeals. "And that, of course, calls for the Test of Courage!"

"Whaaat! No way!"

"Oh yeah! That's awesome!"

"Huh?" Naruto finally noticed the excited cheers of the class, and turned to Kakashi. "What's all that about?"

"They're planning to have a Halloween party and some kind of 'test of courage'." He answered her, missing how her eyes sparkled. Shrugging, he continued on, "I think it's a waste of tiー"

"WHAT! I'M _SO_ GOING!" Naruto yelled, and their classmates laughed at her vigor. She turned back to the silver-haired boy with a apologetic smile, "Heh, sorry about that, 'Kashi, you were saying?"

"...I'm going too."

* * *

"Naruto, are you sure you're okay?" A smirking twelve year old boy, Aki, teased when the said girl and Kakashi finally arrived. "Do you need a handsome Onii-chan to go with you?"

Naruto smirked back, and feigned mock confusion. "Eh? I don't see anyone like that around here?" She said, looking around. The girls of the group laughed.

A girl the blonde remembered to be eleven years old, smacked Aki. "More like a old geezer with how you're perving on her."_  
_

With crocodile tears, he held his red cheek, over-exaggerated hurt in his eyes. "W-What a thing to say, Miki! I am a perfectly healthy young man of dignity!"

Rolling her eyes at him, Miki's focus changed to Naruto, grinning as she all but squealed at the sight of the girl. Her words came out in a rush at first, "Ohmygawsh Naruto-chan, you look so adorable! Kakashi-kun, you too!"

The other female classmates came over to squeeze the life out of them as well, and Naruto could see that Kakashi was desperate for oxygen like she was. "C-Can'tーbreathe!"

When they finally let them go, Naruto couldn't help but smile at how Kakashi was now fitting in with the grade. She noticed earlier, of course, when she just got back, but seeing how he interacted with the class again reminded her. Him pulling crazy pranks and talking more must have helped, she guessed with pride and joy.

"So," Kippei began loudly, successfully gaining everyone's attention. "Let's start the Test of Courage! Have you guys chosen your partner yet? You can be a group of threes, you know!"

Naruto whooped, and dragged Kakashi with her to sign their names down, not bothering to even ask if he wanted to team up. She guessed that Mika, Genma, and Shizuka would be a group of three, anyways. "Don't worry, it'll be fine, nothing to get scared of." She told him, though he found it highly unnecessary and glared at the wiggling brows of the other groups or pairs of people. "Plus, I, your fabulous Onee-chan, is right by your side!"

"I don't _need _your help. And for your information, I'm older than you." He huffed, trying to wriggle his arm out of her grasp. "Are you sure _you're _not the one who's gonna need it?"

The Uzumaki merely laughed, shaking her head at the fact that he would even suggest that she, the fearless young rebel, would need _support. _"Of course not! You're crazy if you think that! Now come on!"

* * *

Kushina scowled, getting quite fed up with the blond's pacing and muttering. "Relax, she's only gone out with her class. Surely they wouldn't do anything too drastic."

"What if they _do, _Kushina! There aren't any adults there, you know! They might get lost, or maybe even kidnappedー"

"They go to the ninja academy for a reason, Minato, and I'm sure they know their way around the whole village, even the forests. It's not that big, after all, and they just have to go to where the lights and noises are." She sighed in exasperation. This man is _such _a worrywart. Although she guessed she was a _little _bit too laid-back. Just a little. "Besides, if it becomes too late, say eight-thirty or so, then we'll go out to look for them."

She rolled her eyes when the man she called her boyfriend still continued to stomp in circles, eyes watery. What a mess he's become. "But... But wouldn't she want to spend more time with her _daddy? _Her beloved daddy that she hasn't played with for a long time?"

"She's having fun with her classmates, so deal with it." She slumped back onto the couch, closing her eyes. "She needs some more time with friends since she's been hogged up in that stinky old hospital with me and the nurses fussing over her a lot. I wonder how Kakashi-kun's doing."

At the mere mention of the boy, Minato wrinkled his nose. Kushina raised a brow.

"I thought you liked him?"

"I do, but..." His eyes turned dead serious, and she was taken aback.

"But?"

"I have this really bad feeling... an omen, that he would be trouble in the future. When he realizes the beauty Naruto is, both inside and out."

She was silent for the whole of Minato's rant over how young Naruto would become in later years. He hadn't noticed, and his violently waving arms had knocked a few cups and books of the shelves and table.

Kushina could only stare at the stupidity of this _jounin. _

* * *

_Nononono, _Naruto wanted to shrink back, hide herself behind Kakashi's slightly shorter frame. Her pride, of course, was still there, thus she hasn't backed down. Yet.

The sudden rustling of the bushes made her flinch.

Kakashi looked down at her, the urge to roll his eyes getting heavier as the girl's pink lips began to quiver. Feigning nonchalance, he casted his eyes over at the tall, looming dark trees. "I don't mind you c-clinging onto me, you know, if you're scared."

She contemplated his sentence, before recoiling at the last part of it. "N-No way! I'm not s-scared or anything!" She gave an awkward, unconvincing laugh, and looked the other way. "W-What about you? Aren't _you _scared yet? You're shaking!"

He stared. "That's you."

"Huh, whatーno, I ain't shaking!" She stubbornly persisted, "Maybe it's an earthquake. Yeah, that's it. A mini one, but I'm really... good at sensing those things!"

"Hmm..." Kakashi sighed in exasperation, before an idea came to him like a light bulb switching on. "Hey, did you hear...?"

She twitched. She gave a small 'eep' in fear of his low tone. "H-hear what?"

"_They _live in forests, just like these."

"T-T-T-_They_?"

Before he spoke again the paused for effect, and it worked; a few beads of sweat started rolling down the side of her face.

Just when he opened his mouth, a shrill shriek pierced through.

Naruto jumped, squawking and scrambling onto Kakashi's back in panic. "What the heck was that?!"

"How should I knowーOw! Your foot! Your foot is grinding into my back!"

Kakashi waited for her to get down, but gave up when she tightened her grip around his neck to the point of painful torture. "Alright, alright! I'm going, I'm going!"

By the time they got to the place where they heard the scream, they blanched.

Kakashi stuttered, unable to get the word out of his lips.

"G-Ghoー"

Naruto ended it for him.

"_There's a freaking Ghost!_"

* * *

Minato whimpered, longingly reaching for the girl only to have his hand slapped away again and be ignored.

"I-I said I was sorry, didn't I?" He whined, his ghostly make up messing up his face with black tear tracks. "I was lonely!"

Naruto didn't give him any attention, and coldly strutted to the kitchen for a cup of orange juice. Back in the forest, it was Kakashi who revealed the true identity of the 'ghost.' Turns out, her father had gone to drive the kids back home by scaring them off, but because of the silver haired boy that plan was foiled.

"That's why I told you it would be a bad idea," Kushina muttered, not caring if he heard or not. Even if he did, he wouldn't pay her comment any heed being the stubborn man he is. She turned to Naruto, grinning. "Well, let's eat some cake. I bought a really good one from the bakery you two love so much." Both blonds' eyes shone.

"Yay! Cake, cake!"

Kushina ruffled her hair and went to the kitchen, face twisting in pain once she turned her back towards the two.

She couldn't believe it. Naruto's lonely, terrible childhood. Had the Uchiha, who had later betrayed the girl and the village, not appeared in her life, what kind of person would Naruto have been? Would she still be able to live on as the warm and strong young lady she was in the future?

Kushina's breath hitched, but thankfully she was far enough to not be heard.

Now, she was glad the Sandaime had taken Naruto's burden away.

* * *

Sarutobi stroked his small goatee thoughtfully, looking down at the list of academy students and their pictures. Sakumo waited in front of him patiently, and the Hokage finally faced him.

"Sakumo."

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

He took one sheet, which had the profile of the highest class in the academy, and marked two students. Sakumo frowned, staring at Naruto and Kakashi's face inside blaring red circles. "I'm assigning you to be a jounin sensei this year," Hiruzen watched the other man's surprised face.

"This is pretty sudden, Hokage-sama."

"Yes, I apologize for that. But I believe if these two are in your team, there won't be a problem, hm?" The Sarutobi said pleasantly with a smile.

Sakumo blinked. He hadn't expected Naruto and Kakashi to be set into one team already, seeing as the Genin Exams were still a month away.

As if sensing Sakumo's thoughts, the village leader continued. "I've been reading your monthly reports of their training because I have taken quite an interest in those two. Their teamwork is getting better, isn't it?"

"Yes, during the month before Naruto had left and after she came back, I have trained them to work with each other against me." Sakumo furrowed his brows. He could see where the Hokage was going with this, but there was still more. "What about the third member of the future team, Hokage-sama? Surely you don't plan to have a three-man-cell."

"I have thought of that, to be honest, but of course that hasn't ever worked out before, has it?" He let a sad smile cross his lips at the memories of past experiences, before closing them away again. "So, as for the third genin, I was thinking of having this boy be him."

"Shiranui, huh?" Sakumo contemplated from what he could remember of the brown haired student. "He's good with weapons, if I remember correctly."

"Yes, he is. He's really an all-rounder," Hiruzen rotated the sheet so the Hatake could read it, "but he is exceptionally good with genjutsu and weapons. A good match for a team with Naruto in it, really."

Everyone knew of Naruto and genjutsu, oil and water. The girl couldn't keep up a genjutsu for more than even three minutes without it going unrealistic. And, while she can hit targets, her stronger points are mostly taijutsu and ninjutsu, and her speed.

"He's also a good strategy maker, so if you were their sensei and happened to be away, he would be suitable for making the last decisions." The Hokage paused, leaning back into his chair. "And I have a feeling Kakashi would follow by the rules too much once he becomes genin. Doing that tends to make people lose sight of what's important."

He had seen enough of Naruto's memories to know that.

Sakumo hummed in thought, and nodded his head slowly. "So this would be team nine, wouldn't it? Seeing as the members has something the others lack, filling whatever holes the cell would have had."

"It would seem so, that is, if they do get the grades I expect them to on the exams."

"So how long would I be taking care of this team? Until they reach chuunin?" Sakumo asked curiously, seeing as jounin senseis tended to vary in the length of time they take on a team.

"Normally that would be the case, but I think it best for you to train them as their teacher for roughly two years." The Hokage smiled, apologetic. "Sorry about this, Sakumo. I know you're more suited for the front line, but I have high hopes for this team, and I believe you're their best chance at reaching the top ranks."

Surprised, Sakumo shook his head with a soft grin. "Oh, no, I actually think this is a great opportunity for me to see those two improve."

"By the way, how is their training going?"

"Kakashi's been trying out a few techniques so he would be better prepared for the exams," he placed a sheet of paper on the table which listed

Once the man left, Hiruzen let out a breath of relief as he fell back against his chair. He kept one of his best fighters from straying towards the dark path. Even if this was going against fate, it was for a good cause. _Thank the heavens._

* * *

Naruto now sat, not even staring at the exam paper, tapping her pencil in deep thought. She couldn't help but think that time flew by pretty quickly, that it had only been roughly a year since she came stumbling upon the tall gates of Konoha.

She had fun pranking many of the teachers and playing around with her class, but now she had to get serious. Living the life of a ninja was a hard road, young Naruto knew that. Once she passes the exams, she will be treated as an adult, and would hold the responsibilities of an adult.

Snapping out of her thoughts, the blonde noticed that she only had fifteen minutes left.

Looking down, she also noticed that she hadn't finished even half of it.

A desk away from her, Kakashi noticed the way Naruto had drifted off into her daydreams. _Of all times... _He knew about her horrible concentration, but why _now?_

He huffed. It would be her loss anyways when the test rankings are up, showing that he's first place. He looked down to check his perfectly answered test, having nothing better to do.

Yawning, he sat back, knowing he'll be the student with the best scores.

* * *

Naruto grinned up at the chuunin man, waiting for the second part of the exams, taijutsu, to begin.

"Start!"

She immediately attacked. The rules were simple. The examiner has to defend and attack the examinee, while another teacher determines what score the performance deserves and the student's endurance.

And, of course, no forms of chakra use was allowed.

Naruto dodged and occasionally blocked the chuunin's attacks knowing he's physically much stronger. Having the amount of stamina she has was a great advantage in times like this, since evading for a long while takes a surprising amount of it.

She jumped and lashed a quick, unexpected kick to his face. He blocked it with an arm, and Naruto grabbed it to pull herself behind him.

Landing, she wasted not even a second before jabbing the back of his knees with her foot, making the black haired man lose his balance and lean backward. With a cry, Naruto leaped up high and kicked down his shoulder, preventing him from stopping his fall and making him land on his back faster.

She had learned to use the weak points of a person to her advantage, after the death training Sakumo-sensei had provided. They had done taijutsu for an hour straight everyday, and Naruto would always lose in their spars (of course) and go home with several bruises and harsh muscle pain.

Eventually, she learned how to fight without resorting to use the mere strength of a five year old ninja-in-training.

Once the man landed with a groan, she straddled his arms and chest firmly, bringing her hand to his neck. She wondered if she should continue, using her hand to chop him to unconsciousness.

Luckily, the examiner stopped her, clapping his hands, eyes wide with surprise and approval. "Uzumaki Naruto, you pass! Please send Kakashi in."

As the blonde girl skipped away, the chuunin she had been fighting let out an exasperated sigh. "Whew, shouldn't have underestimated that one."

"Tetsu, you okay?"

"Yeah, just in a moment of shock," Tetsu joked, massaging his shoulder and cringing. "Damn, for a five year old, she can sure kick."

"Well, you shouldn't hold back so much on the next one too. He'sー"

"Hatake Kakashi." The silver haired boy announced his presence, snapping their attention towards him in an instant.

* * *

Kakashi couldn't believe his eyes when he saw the results for the written part of the exams. The rankings were posted on the wall, and he had to get through the suffocating crowd of excited, nervous students to see them.

He was second place. _Second place._

And who was above his name?

Uzumaki Naruto. The girl who had her mind wandering off during the exam time, and rushed in the last fifteen minutes of it.

How was _she _first?

He shifted his eyes to the right to see the scores, and felt like ripping the poster apart.

She was ranked higher than him by _half a point._

* * *

"Ah, Danzo, what a _pleasant _surprise." Sarutobi smiled, watching the man walk in.

Bitterly, the dark haired man asked with spite. "What are you scheming, _Hokage?_"

"Scheming?" He repeated with genuine bemusement. "Whatever do you mean by that?"

"Why send a girl, not even out of the Academy, to an A-rank mission?" Danzo sent him an unwavering, icy glare. "You knew full well that I've sent my men to aid Hanzo."

"I did," the village leader's smile fell, replaced by a equally cold face. "And I have never approved it, which _you _knew fully well."

Danzo bristled. "My actions are not wrong. It was all for Konoha's well-beingー"

"_All for Konoha_, that has become quite your motto." The lax smile returned. "Do you realize that your forceful, sneaky way of doing things is exactly what makes Konoha enemy of millions?"

"Are you suggesting that how _you _settle things is better?"_  
_

"No, but now that you have said it, that might be so." Sarutobi smirked, silently infuriating the other man. "You have always seen the forest but not its trees, Danzo. You never see the people; the people that determines what is really right for their home.

"Naruto, Jiraiya, and Kushina's mission was to help the Akatsuki, the organization favored by all of Amegakure. Hanzo was too blinded by his power and official status as leader to see the village's suffering, which is what led him to his downfall." The Hokage leaned back in his chair, resting his weaved hands on his stomach. "Now Amegakure has strong ties with Konoha, which would help us greatly in this war in a few years time."

Danzo was aware why, and knowing this Hiruzen didn't bother to elaborate. The Akatsuki was a strong, large group of shinobi. Their chances of transforming Rain into a powerful village was high. Waiting for that time to come wouldn't do much harm.

The air grew tense as both waited for the other to speak. Finally, Danzo spoke, voice piercing.

"What do you _really _want, _Hiruzen_?"

"Simple," with an unreadable smile, the Hokage got up from his chair and walked towards him, stopping once they were face-to-face.

"I want ROOT dissolved."

* * *

Naruto's class was moved to a larger room, and sat mixed with another class. She recognized it as boy she met in the secluded part of the park's group, and looked for him only to be disappointed. Did he fail?

Naruto grinned, oblivious to the heated glare from a certain silver haired boy sitting right next to her. "I can't believe we're genin now! It'll be awesome if we're in the same team, right, Scarecrow?" She finally noticed Kakashi's bad mood, and cocked her head to the side, furrowing her brows, puzzled. "You okay?"

The girl was definitely mocking him. Definitely. Kakashi scowled. He shouldn't have believed even for a second that he _cared _for this _devil._ He could see the menacing, taunting smirk on her seemingly innocent, worried face.

Naruto slapped her hand to his forehead, not realizing that he was growling. "You seem fine..." She pulled away, and smiled again. "Y'know, I thought they were gonna give me something harder in the ninjutsu part of the exams! But all I really had to do was make five clones!"

"Oh, isn't that great?" He snapped.

"Kakashi? Really, what's wrongー"

The door rattled open, and their sensei came in with a wide grin, "I'm proud of every one of you! Congratulations on passing the exams!"

The class erupted in cheers, Kippei and Naruto being the loudest out of all.

"I'm sure you're all dying to know who's in your team and whatnot, so I'll hurry with the speech, alright?"

The majority of the students groaned, and of course Kakashi, Shizuka, and Genma weren't one of them. The former being too annoyed with the blonde beside him, the second being too indulged in her book and secret stash of pocky, and the latter not bothered. Naruto, Mika, and Kippei, however, had been constantly sighing, yawning, and muttering throughout the whole road-to-shinobi speech.

It was incredible how the chuunin had resisted the urge to throw a thick, sharp book to them.

"Alright, now I'll be announcing your teamsー" the class immediately broke into excited whispers, "ーso be _quiet._"

Huffing, he held a sheet of paper closer to his face, and, with the children held their breaths in anticipation, read out the teams. "ーTeam seven will be Uchiha Obito, Nohara Rin, and Maito Gai." Naruto looked around, and guessed that the surprised, brown haired girl with rectangular, purple markings was Rin. She then heard the loud yell of 'youth!' and premised that the boy with shining, black, bowl-cut hair and _extremely bushy eyebrows_ was the last team member. The blonde then looked back down to the teacher, noticing his silence, and saw his confused expression. "Their sensei is Namikaze Minato."

Her eyes widened at that; it was her _dad _who will be their teacher. She pouted. Why isn't he _her _teacher?

When a few students were about to ask for the absence of the third member, the teacher cut in. "It would be most likely that this team would join in training with another, so don't worry about it. Alright, now for Team Eight.

"Team Eight; Inuzuka Kippei," Kippei whooped, "Hyuuga Shizuka," said girl gave a look of distaste towards him, "and Aburame Muta. Their teacher will be Yuuhi Hiromu."

Naruto didn't recognize the third member of the team, Aburame Muta, and looked around to find him. _Who is he?_

"Team Ten; Shiranui Genma," said boy gave a slow blink, "Uzumaki Naruto," Naruto sent him a grin, and he nodded in return, "Hatake Kakashiー"

Naruto whooped, and grabbed Kakashi in a bear hug. The Hatake widened his eyes, unable to pull himself away from her death grip.

"ーTheir sensei will be H-Hatake Sakumo."  
The two students who were _very _familiar with the said man froze, eyes round, and Naruto got up to look at the son of their new sensei. "Did you know this?"

Kakashi shook his head, equally shocked.

Naruto couldn't help but feel sorry for Genma, who didn't know about the horrors of Sakumo's extensive training.

* * *

The blonde Uzumaki grinned nonstop, looking between the two silent boys with amusement. Now that they were sitting down on either sides of her, she could see the strong resemblance. "Guys," she said suddenly.

Both grunted, looking down at her in unison, and all three noticed. Naruto exploded in laughter, while Kakashi and Genma glared.

Kakashi didn't like Shiranui Genma very much. Sometimes, the older boy would get better scores than he did in tests, and was better than he was in throwing weapons. Also, Genma was around Naruto too often, making her talk a lot, and it would seem like she forgot all about him being there.

He wasn't jealous. Just annoyed.

The door suddenly bursted open, and all the students in the room jumped.

Naruto blinked, looking down at the harshly panting, black haired, orange-goggles-wearing boy, and her eyes shone with recognition. She watched him scan the room, his face red from what seemed to be from running a lot, and practically radiated relief.

"Uchiha Obito! You're late!" Rin hopped down to him, chiding him. "You were supposed to be here an hour ago! You're lucky we're still waiting for our team sensei to come!"

"Our?" Obito widened his eyes, "You're in my team?"

Rin warily nodded, "Yeah. What, you don't want me to be?" His eyes, if possible, widened even more.

"N-n-no! I'm really, really happy!"

Naruto watched them, smiling at how the girl teased him and at how the boy blushed. _How cute, _she giggled, _so his name is Uchiha Obito. _She looked around, remembering their other teammate was a boy called Gai. She furrowed her brows, and soon spotted him, grinning a grin that _sparkled. _

"There you are, Obito-kun! We were all very worried, you know!" He then went on in a rant about how un-youthful it was to be so late early in the morning, and Naruto didn't bother to listen. It wasn't like he was talking to her anyways. But ignoring him proved to be difficult, since he was just so _loud. _

Kakashi thought so too, and wasn't afraid to shut him up. "Would you keep it down? Your voice is really annoying."

"Youー!" Naruto stared at Maito Gai, and decided to nickname him Bushy Brows, smiling at her creativeness.

He didn't continue his comeback, and instead stood gawking at her. She frowned lightly, wondering if something was on her face, just as distracting as his eyebrows. "Um, is something, er, wrong?"

He constantly opened and closed his mouth, eyes wide. Gai's face gradually turned a bright shade of red, and he shook his head before scurrying off to his own desk.

Team Ten raised a brow, and Rin bit back a knowing smile. Obito only looked at his new male teammate with bemusement.

The door rattled open, then, and a silver haired head popped out to look around the room, "Hatake Sakumo, here for Team Ten."

Naruto, Genma, and Kakashi perked up.

* * *

Yeah, once again, sorry for the late update. I said I'd update in two weeks, didn't I?

Blame English assignments.

And yes, I've sped things up with this chapter. I think I was going to slow before...

Thanks for the support! I was surprised at the amount of reviews the last chapter got.

Response:

Missy Morningstar - Yup, Kyuubi's definitely angry, too bad he's dug inside her too deep to show it. Dx He'll get his part of the show soon though!

Gruffard - I think I explained enough of Hiruzen's intentions here, but I'll explain more of what he did in the next, I think. Sorry about the harsh cliffhanger last time ^^" Thanks!

Sensoray - Don't worry, she'll get them back eventually! And it's actually better for her now, I think.

Vermouth - Thank you!

animeromance72 - THANK YOU. And yup, their relationship would escalate as chapters pass by~ I must admit, I love Kakashi tormenting Minato. xD

wolfsrainrules - OMG I LOVED WOLF'S RAIN. Heheh, sorry, I just had to say that after seeing your penname. XD Thanks!

kyothefallenkit - What he did was for a good cause TAT Thanks! xD

OnryoRyuu16 - LOL. But what the Jijii did was for a good cause, as he explained in the beginning of the chapter! If anything, curse the war mongrel, Danzo! D:

ShadowRealmTriforce - Yep, Obito! And yeah... Jijii was a major ASLKDAJSLF. But it was for a good cause! I love your reviews, by the way! It lets me know about how you felt with many different parts of the chapter!

Pizzafan123 - She will, just not soon! She'll remember tidbits of them though, but won't know why. Thanks!

Vantweet - Yes, she'll get them all back eventually. As time passes, though, she'll get small bits and pieces of them when seeing something that triggers her inner, sub-conscious mind. XD

Animefreak Amii - If you're talking about the preview, then yup, I had hoped it would give you that feeling! I felt that leaving you hanging with such a big cliffie would be too cruel (and the shortness of the chapter too TAT). Thanks!

Guest -

Quoted - Ahahah... She didn't really fall for Kakashi... But she will! from here on I'm planning to speed the pace up a bit. She'll of course get back her memories (I'm not that cruel) but it will take time to get them all back (hint hint).

Lolipop Spammer - Don't worry, I'm planning to show how Naruto affects him as the chapters pass by! Thanks for providing the suggestion!

SleepyPuppy - Ohmygod that's such a cute penname. And trust me, she'll have a horrid prank once she finds out - but it won't be soon T.T And she didn't lose her skills (the Hokage made some memories in her head and twisted some a little to preserve them).

mugu - "Idle whistle" XD Don't worry, I haven't forgotten. Just that I was focusing my attention on homework and didn't read fanfiction for a really long while (ohmygod). And yes, I know your age - read your bio ^^" Still, thanks for the constant support. I actually need the class scenes, to show the characters' personality and all that (also to show Kakashi and Naruto's interactions with them). It's more of a subtle thing, and I don't blame anyone if they think it's pointless :)  
I treat this writing thing more like a fun, comfortable homework that has a due date, and think of the readers as teachers (sorry about that). And I see teachers as scary, almighty kings/queens most of the time (childhood trauma TAT). So sorry if I tend to exaggerate too much (and sorry for saying sorry too much xD). And I know how you feel about reviews.

Sora Tsuiki - Haha, I'm glad you liked the comic relief bits! And she didn't necessarily have her memories _erased_. Just that she can't recall them on her own (hint, hint).

Theia Pallas - Don't worry, Naruto isn't the only one who can save the future xD the Sandaime will make up for it, I promise.

Tsume Yuki - Thank you! I'm glad you liked it!

69AnimeFreak69 - She _will _get them all back some time in the future, just not all of them so soon... You'll have to wait and see! xD

Allyieh & fatesmask - Yeah, the Sandaime-jijii was a real asshole in the last chapter, huh? But it was for a good cause!

Thanks for the alerts, faves, and reviews again (T v T)v

Reviews would be highly appreciated!


	12. Chapter Eleven

Erm, haha... Hi there.

Yeah... Sorry for the _asdkasjdak-ly _late update, people! It was really a hectic month for me though, you know? Right... no, of course you wouldn't. Let's just say I had a ****load of homework, a fever, a huge*** writer's block, but worst of all, I lost the original eleventh (this) chapter (which might have contributed to my writer's block).

Andandand - **I made a mistake with Naruto's team number TAT** Their team number is** 9**, not 10. Those of you who forgot or don't know about this, please don't mind this message :)  
And, not sure if any of you will notice, but I've tried working on writing descriptions (someone informed me that I have been missing out on that... and looking back I realized I didn't write the surroundings and stuff _at all_). I _suck _at describing, though...

_And, _the reason why I chose nine as Naruto's team's number is because their team would be a little like Team Gai (they're Team Nine-remember the academy teacher telling Naruto's class that "team Nine is still in circulation"?) _not _personality-wise of course. Just their abilities and all that resembles them a little.

Oh, by the way, I decided to stop replying to reviews here, and to reply via PM as it takes too much space. I'll try to get my replies for the last chapter done at least by the end of this week, if not sooner.

_**Have a MERRY CHRISTMAS and a (-n early) HAPPY NEW YEAR!**_

_****_I apologize if it is rushed. I tried to read through it a few times and fix the chapter, but if you find any obvious, distracting mistakes please do tell me!

* * *

Naruto, Genma, and Kakashi, all leaning against the black bark of a tree, waited at the third training ground which seemed to be their team's now. Sakumo had told them the day before, during their first meeting back at the academy, to wait for him here at six in the morning, and be prepared. They all were, but also tired from waking up so early and downright nervous. Also irritated from having autumn leaves stuck in their hair.

This was their _real _test. The Genin Exams, apparently, were just hosted to wipe out the hopeless.

She guessed they would be fine; their team had an advantage compared to the others. All three of them know each other after many spars, and, from what she could tell, got on rather well.

But what if this was a test where they were pitted against each other? Naruto frowned, deep in thought. That wasn't likely. When was there ever anything less than a three-man-cell?

Or were they going to be pitted against each other, with the winner joining with two other winners to form a team?

She snapped out of her thoughts at the sounds of crunching dead leaves, and looked up to see Sakumo's tall figure. "Sakumo-sensei!" Her voice had come out as a surprised squeak. Embarrassed, she coughed. "Good morning." The other two stood up and greeted their sensei as well, and the three were replied with a smile and nod.

"It's getting pretty chilly, huh? I see you've changed your style," he commented, addressing to Naruto's new attire.

She now wore a dark orange jacket that had a black hood and sleeves, with black khaki pants and boots. Next to her, Kakashi merely wore an unzipped black jacket over his usual navy blue outfit. Genma had on what he normally did, a red long scarf, long-sleeved, beige top, and black knee-length shorts. The Shiranui walked from behind them to stand on the other side of Naruto to see Sakumo, and noticed that, like his son, he wore all navy blue minus the jacket.

Sakumo immediately got onto explaining about the Bell Test. Throughout the instructions and objective of it, Naruto grew annoyed of the light, slow pounding in her ears, and how, for some reason, Genma had _pink _hair. The hue immediately changed back to the usual dark brown, and she had to blink twice. She pinched the bridge of her nose, much like how her mother did whenever Minato acted foolish.

Absently she rubbed her forehead, and recounted the rules in her head. Basically, they had to get a bell from Sensei before the alarm rings nine hours into the morning, and there were only two, meaning that one has to fail and leaveー

_What. _

Her jaw went slack. _What? _She repeated again in her head, blinking furiously. So only _two _would pass? Or one, even?

She gauged the other two's reactions, and saw their shock as well. Kakashi met her gaze, eyes holding a sliver of panic. She couldn't blame him. He may be tough, but not enough to _not _worry about this test. There might even be a chance where they can't get the bell at _all, _seeing as this was _Hatake Sakumo _they're dealing with.

She looked at Genma, and noticed his face scrunched in bemusement after taking in the rules of the Bell Test. Naruto could tell what he was thinking, because it was the same course her mind had taken before the man came.

Genma pondered even further than she did, though, because one thing did not make sense. Even if the winners _were _separated into different teams, what was the point of putting them together with the ones that failed in the first place? Wouldn't it have been _much _easier and efficient to have another Genin Exam? And judging from what he remembered of the team placement, all of them were chosen with thought. Team Eight, the one Inuzuka Kippei, Hyuuga Shizuka, and Aburame Muta are in, is specialized for tracking; all three of them are from the clans with the best senses.

Team Nine was put together by how the genin fare with each other, their best skills and teamwork. Naruto was really what usually put him and Kakashi together in their hangouts, and they got along together fine when she was around. He knew his hands with weapons, Kakashi and Naruto's stealthiness, the latter's stamina and chakra levels, and the former's speed rounded the team's abilities pretty high. Not to mention, that all three of them were above ten in the rankings of the Genin Exams.

Team Seven was put together by the dead last, rookie and kunoichi of the year, but becauseーfrom what Genma had already guessedーhe, Naruto, and Kakashi were better put together, they chose the ones from the other grade, which were the kids named Obito, Rin, and Gai. Apparently, from what the Shiranui gathered, the Uchiha had suddenly boosted up his grades (Genma remembered Naruto mentioning something about giving away a copy of all of her notes to a random boy in another class...), enough to get the best out of his class, and his ninjutsu and stamina were impressive for his age. Of course, the boy hadn't managed to top Naruto and Kakashi, but Genma guessed the boy was good enough to stand his own against them. Rin was a smart kunoichi, and had excellent chakra control, but he hadn't gotten much information on her to know anything else. The third member of Team Seven was a... flashy one. Gai.

Genma knew quite a lot about him without searching around. That boy had superb taijutsu, though lacked in everything else. If it weren't for his amazing stamina and strength that exceeded Naruto and Kakashi's ownーwhich was saying _something_ーand surprisingly good marks on the written exams (Genma suspected this was through vigorous studying), he would have failed the Exams.

Team Seven's members were wisely put together, he concluded. They make up for each other's lack in a part, and, if he heard right, they get along well.

Sakumo set down the alarm clock, snapping Genma out of his thoughts. "You may come at me with the intent to kill," he said pleasantly, and all three former academy students widened their eyes. "Weapons, the best jutsus you know. Just not at each other, 'kay?"

Naruto frowned, recovering from her prior shock. It didn't make sense. How can one measly fresh-out-of-the-academy-student take a bell from an _elite _jounin?

Before she had the time to ask, though, he cleared his throat, and began counting down from three.

They prepared themselves, bending their knees.

"Go!"

The three dispersed.

* * *

Naruto _would've _gone head-on if she hadn't been so familiar with fighting the man. She had learned immediately that it was stupid to do so; Sakumo could shove her to the ground in a heartbeat.

So she tried forming ideas.

She _could _go out of the training grounds and steal a bunch of useful seals from her mother and father(and apologize for it later). Her home wasn't too far away, and there was plenty of time from now.

Two problems to that though. One, how was she supposed to go home without being noticed? She knew the jounin had psychic powers. She just knew.

And the other problem is, even if she did reach her house how was she supposed to get the seals to work? Sure, she could try unlocking the box she knew her father put them in, but could she operate them? Chakra she had plenty of, but what about the amount of it she needed for each one? And, more importantly, how was she supposed to know what did what?_  
_

She would hate to have her parents get mad at her for that.

So there's only one option left (other than going suicide-mode by attacking Sakumo). Team up with either Kakashi or Genma and grab a bell for themselves, leaving the left over one to fail.

Naruto scoffed. No way is she ever going to even _think _of doing that. Leaving behind one of her best friends? She huffed at the mere thought, and decided.

She was going to get the two bells with them, and complain to the Hokage 'til their throats go raw.

That in mind, she went to look for the other two.

Her walking evolved to cheerful skipping, her mind feeling lighter than it had been a mere few minutes ago.

* * *

Kakashi tensed, until he registered that Naruto would hide her presence if she wanted to attack him. He let her come closer to him until they were both crouched side by side, watching their sensei. "What do you want?"

A small grin streaked over her face, and Kakashi eyed her warily. "Let's go get the bells," she said, oblivious to his wide eyes and, hidden underneath the navy mask, his slack jaw. "With Genma."

Gaining his composure, he shot an annoyed glare. "Didn't you hear the rules of this test? He said we had toー"

"He never told us to _not _work together. So I don't see what's wrong." Naruto smirked, before crawling out from under the stiff, brown veil of the tree's leaves and standing. "Loosen up, Scarecrow. We'll show him up with teamwork. He _can't _say no to us if we make an awesome show of it."_  
_

The silver haired boy contemplated her words reluctantly, and he nodded with exasperation. "Fine, but if we fail, it would be completely your fault." It wasn't like he had a better idea, anyways.

Before she appeared, he had no idea of what he should do; going down to fight his father alone would surely result in him shoved to the ground in less than even a minute. A small, unnoticed pout settled on his face, disliking how he seemed to follow Naruto more frequently these days.

Naruto grinned, letting him crawl out before grabbing his hand to drag him off so they could find their third teammate.

* * *

Genma hadn't hesitated when he agreed with their plan. They decided to map out their moves, occasionally eyeing where their sensei stood. Naruto and Kakashi would try to keep the man distracted and bind him up, seeing as they were most familiar with the man's fighting style, and Genma would aim for the right time to swoop in and grab the bells.

A pretty simple, typical plan, Genma guessed, but it would do.

Besides, he could bet Sakumo wouldn't suspect that they were all working together. After thinking thoroughly through the test and its objective, he played with the idea that the rules were to set the three of them against each other. Maybe the two of them will team up leaving the third member out, which is what Naruto and Kakashi would seem to be doing in Sakumo's eyes.

It would be highly likely that the man wouldn't go all out. What would be the point of the test, then? There was no way one, let alone three genin would be able to win against the _White Fang of Konoha._

Either Hatake Sakumo doesn't want them to pass, or he's waiting to see if they'll see the true meaning behind this Bell Test.

Genma watched the blonde in front of him, who was discussing with Kakashi how they would approach their sensei. Did she figure this all out before he even did?

Still, he was surprised that Naruto managed to bait Kakashi in. The boy was stubborn and stuck right onto the rules, and yet he's going against the most important one of this test that will determine their future careers.

Kakashi, who had noticed him staring at the blonde, glared at Genma. Naruto, unaware that he wasn't paying attention, continued to talk as she scribbled their plan out on a paper.

"You've changed a lot," Genma ended up saying.

Kakashi blinked before scowling again, and, at Naruto's impatient tugging, he went back to listening to her rattle on about how they should do their part.

* * *

Five Naruto shadow clones charged towards Sakumo first, catching him off guard for a moment. He dodged every one of their attacks, making sure that none of them reached the jingling bells strapped to his right hip. "This won't get you anywhere, Naruto."

He was only replied with their devious grins, before he sensed Kakashi coming down from behind. "So you two are working together, hm?" He clutched one of the bunch of Naruto's wrist and Kakashi's flying foot, before throwing them into the water.

"So where are you really, Naruto?" He looked past the crowd of yellow, and raised a brow. "I've never failed to notice your tactic of standing behind and letting the clones do your job."

"Right here!" A smirking Naruto came leaping out of a tree high in the air, unraveling a scroll. "Take this!"

Rocks her size came down on him like meteors, before landing in a circle around him. Sakumo furrowed his brows, before noticing something was off about them. Almost likeー

They all had chakra.

His eyes widened, but Sakumo was too late.

As the boulders disappeared in a puff of smoke, each replaced by one Uzumaki Naruto, he tried to escape. He realized that the girl had used smoke bombs. He coughed, cringing as his nose stung at the smell; she must have added something to them.

Naruto grinned. He didn't seem to notice the wires.

What he _also _seemed to miss, was that Kakashi had snuck inside the dusty clouds. Awesome.

Sakumo widened his eyes as his legs and arms were bound rather painfully, and he lost his balance. On his chest, he craned his neck to watch his two students, raising a brow. "What are you two going to do now? You both have your hands full."

They had to keep hold of the wires and stay as far away from him as possible. How were they going to get the bells? Naruto obviously needed her left over clones to keep a strong hold of the bunch of wires, and Kakashi couldn't make a shadow clone.

_Unless..._

His train of thought stood corrected when Genma appeared in front of him and crouched over to get the bells.

Sakumo smirked, despite his situation. "So? Who are you going to give that other bell to?"

Kakashi was scared when Genma actually seemed to contemplate it. Naruto, however, grinned, trusting the boy. "Well, I _could _kill you here, you know." He said casually, and to support his point he drew a kunai to the man's neck. "I could kill you, or you could allow all of us to pass. Either way, we would win."

"Valid statement." His eyes grew serious. "Do you have the _courage_ to kill me, though?"_  
_

Genma tensed, taken aback, and the man chuckled, shaking his head. "Thought so," he said, before facing the whole team with a wide smile.

"Naruto, Kakashi, Genma, welcome to Team Nine."

* * *

Team Nine were surprised to see Team Seven at outside the Hokage's office. "Hi, Tou-chan!" Naruto grinned, immediately running up to Minato. The man smiled pleasantly down at her, patting her head as she wound her arms around his waist. "Guess what, guess what?"

"What is it, Naruto?" He asked her, although he already knew the answer.

"I passed! Me, Kakashi, and Genma passed!"

"Kakashi, Genma, and I," he corrected with a smile. "Congratulations, you three."

Genma and Kakashi nodded, though the latter was taken aback. Was he seeing right? This _composed _jounin was supposed to be that _wreck _who slept over? As if sensing his son's thoughts, Sakumo ruffled his hair rather roughly in silent warning. "It's nice to see you again, Minato," the silver haired man said pleasantly. "You're doing well, hm?"

Minato forced a chuckle, averting his eyes to the fly on the wall. "Erm, yes, I am. Thank you for last time, Sempai." A dark shade of red tinted his cheeks, and Kakashi huffed.

"No problem. You're welcome any time."

All the genin except the Hatake looked between the two in confusion, before the green-clad, bushy browed one shifted his gaze to Naruto. Kakashi narrowed his eyes at the blush that even reached Gai's neck.

Sakumo laughed a little at Minato's obvious embarrassment, before turning his attention to his team. "Well, you guys could stay here and talk to them while Minato and I go report."

The two adults walked away, leaving the six genin in an awkward silence.

Naruto and Obito were the first to break it, as the teams had hoped. Naruto walked to the Uchiha, "I remember you. I didn't get your name last time, though." Raising her hand, she smiled. "Uzumaki Naruto. Nice to meet you again."

Obito shook it, a matching grin on his face. "Uchiha Obito."

Stepping back, the blonde addressed her teammates, seeing as they didn't introduce themselves. "Hatake Kakashi," the silver haired boy next to her nodded once. "He's not very... uh, friendly at first, but he will be once you get to know him." Naruto then turned to the taller boy by her other side. "This guy here is Genma Shiranui. He doesn't talk much, so don't let that mind you."

Obito nodded, grinning at them. His teammates walked up to introduce themselves as well, the brunette going first.

"Nohara Rin, it's nice to meet you."

"M-Maito Gai, it's a p-pleasure to meet you!" The boy said, his words coming out in a rush. Naruto raised a brow; he was looking rather sick with his red face.

"It's nice to meet you, too, but are you okay? You look kinda... um."

Obito laughed rather loudly, grabbing her attention in an instant. "It's fine, it's fine, he's always like that. Get's a little shy when meeting new people." Rin only nodded beside him, grinning ear to ear in amusement.

_You've got to be kidding me, _Genma and Kakashi shared a glance before rolling their eyes behind their oblivious, blonde teammate.

* * *

"Good work." Hiruzen stashed a document away into his drawer, and placed his attention on the two jounin. "I'll expect you to hand me a brief report of your team's performance."

"Hai, Hokage-sama," they replied in unison.

"You two will be sharing one training ground seeing as the rest are full, and I don't think it would be a bad idea to even share the same time." The leader leaned back into his chair, "It might give good results."

The Hokage nodded thoughtfully as he contemplated and liked the idea. "Gai can train with Kakashi and Naruto in taijutsu while Obito can train with them in ninjutsu. It would be quite likely that Rin would be training at the hospital, most of the time, after all. Either one of you can train Genma in weaponry when your hands are free." He smiled, "It would give you two less problems, and allow you to focus on each individual without leaving out the others."

He noticed Minato's unwavering, serious eyes, and raised a brow. "Well, do whatever you think works, you two." He sighed, gazing back at the blue, sharp orbs. "Sakumo, you're dismissed."

Said man bowed, eyed the two for a moment, before leaving the room.

"So? What do you want to ask?"

Minato just got straight to the point, "Did you have anything to do with Naruto's time at the hospital?"

The Hokage didn't bat an eyelid, staying silent, and the blond's lips thinned into a grim line. "You personally brought Naruto to the hospital. I heard that she was with you in the secluded part of this building before she collapsed. Kushina and Jiraiya have been acting differently ever since they went to your office soon after Naruto woke up, and were called for more than they were before. The girl herself has changed, though one would have to look closely to notice it." He took a deep breath, closing his eyes to calm his raging thoughts down. Minato opened them again and demanded softly, _"What did you do?"_

_Minato, _the Hokage thought, inwardly sighing; _you were always the sharpest. _"The answer to that, I'm afraid, is for much later. However, it's nothing you should worry about; Naruto isn't in danger, not anymore," He promised, and, unaffected by the other man's narrowed gaze, he took out a packet from his drawer. "You are dismissed."

Minato frowned and stayed for a moment to watch the Hokage, until he gave up. Curtly, the Namikaze bowed, and left.

"Send Kushina and Jiraiya in." The anbu that hid in the shadows acknowledged the order with a nod, and vanished.

* * *

Naruto walked home with her father, and noticed something was off with him today. It was one of those moods he occasionally had after a particularly tough mission, something that seemed to leave a bitter taste in his mouth. She had learned that it was best to treat these moods with distractions. "Tou-chan, what's for dinner?"

"Hm?" He blinked, out of his deep train of thought, and finally gave a small smile. Naruto could see it was a tired one. "Oh, how does Kaa-chan's special ramen sound? We can help out with cooking, too."

Naruto grinned, making his smile bigger, and nodded vigorously. "Yesterday, Kaa-chan said we're out of noodles." She tightened her tiny hand in his larger one, and looked for a supermarket, "We have to buy groceries."

"We sure do," Minato's eyes twinkled, and he gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

After they went to buy the noodles (and packs of ramen flavored snacks and pocky) they returned home. Naruto missed the way Minato's eyes seemed to sharpen when he noticed that Kushina wasn't in, despite it being a Sunday. He heard she didn't have any missions to do today and when that was the case, the Uzumaki usually lingered around at the house during the late afternoon.

"Where'd Kaa-chan go?" Naruto furrowed her brows, checking the kitchen. "She's not here."

"Maybe something urgent came up," he said more to himself than to her, setting down the plastic bags. "Why don't you go take a shower now, Naruto?"

"Okay!"

The man waited until the girl had shut the bathroom door to form his shadow clone and sneak away.

* * *

"I didn't think we wereーwould beーthat close," Jiraiya admitted, "in the future. Seeing the fragments of her life then..." It made him realize that the girl had been holding back. A lot.

He knew why, and felt like beating himself up for it. The girls always put others before herself; Naruto knew he would feel uncomfortable if she clung onto him and told him all about their closeness when she turned into his future apprentice. She understood that he wouldn't know what to do, and kept a distance between them, which he didn't take notice of.

It was so like her that it made him want to cry. Almost.

To walk into one's shoes is scarily accurate in their case. Jiraiya and Kushina literally saw what happened from Naruto's eyes. They felt everything she did in her whole life for the whole of the past week; happiness, love, heartbreak, despair_. __Everything. _

The loneliness was indescribable.

When they had been watching Naruto's childhood, Kushina had to take a break more than once. Knowing that her daughter had to shoulder the same fate she did was hard to take in.

In fact, Naruto had it worse than she did. While not many knew about her status as jinchuuriki, Naruto was a different case. The survivors and people left from the future attack had used the girl as a scapegoat to cast their rage, loneliness, and hatred, and made sure to have the oblivious, younger generations to do the same.

And Naruto was alone.

Kushina had her relatives to comfort her whenever she was upset. Naruto, however, was a different story; before her eyes were set on the Hokage Monument, the girl had always been crying, crying alone in a secret corner of the orphanage. The Sandaime, who was, as expected, much older than the one she knew, didn't have enough time to watch over the girl completely. Instead, he had to use ANBU as guards, and they never interacted with the people they were assigned, unless deemed necessary.

One thing the woman was glad about, however, was that Naruto had grown up into a wonderful kunoichi of Konohagakure. She had found dear friends to trust, depend on, and even took on hers and Minato's dream. Keeping that in mind, her sullen face had brightened up.

It didn't stay that way for long, though, as Jiraiya spoke. "What are we going to do now? With Sakumo." Kushina widened her eyes, shooting her gaze on him. "Though Naruto didn't remember it very well, it's clear that Sakumo committed seppuku because of peer pressure and shame after a mission he lead went wrongーwhich might mean that whatever mistake he made was against what we expect from him."

"Our knowledge of his future is very limited," the Hokage pinched the bridge of his nose, furrowing his brows. "She sure is your daughter, Kushina. I wish she had studied as enthusiastically as she does now. Thank goodness Kakashi was her team teacher, though it would have been better if he was more informative."

"Hey!" Kushina huffed in annoyance; it wasn't their fault. They hadn't known that learning history would prove necessary, and it usually wasn't. Naruto was just unfortunate to have been zapped back in time. The atmosphere grew heavier with seriousness, and the irritation fell from her face. "Well, making him a jounin sensei was wise; that would prevent him from taking A and B-ranks."

"But that would mean someone else has to take care of the mission, and possibly shoulder what was supposed to be Sakumo's burden," Jiraiya cut in, voice low. "And for _Sakumo _to mess up is odd. A fatal mistake in a mission equals to mostly death, or worseー" he narrowed his eyes, "ーabandoning the rules."

"You can't come back to the village until you achieve the objective of the mission, of course, unless the Kage calls for you. Leaving the mission behind is something he would never even _think_ of doing, no matter how impossible it is." Kushina sucked in a breath, already knowing what must have happened. "That is, unless it would have his comrades dead for nothing."

Hiruzen sighed heavily, leaning against the desk. "The most likely cause for his so-called shame was him saving his teammates by ordering the team to retreat, and abandon the mission. And, because the contempt from his peers, the village, was too much, he committed an honorable suicide." Kushina frowned at that, her brows knit closely together as she thought carefully on his words.

"For everyone to give the cold shoulder on _the _respected White Fang must mean that the mission was a vital one to our village," she bit her bottom lip, pausing as she sorted out her estimations. "And going back to what Jiraiya said, I can't believe that Sakumo-san would make such a horrible mistake to resort to abandoning the mission."

"What if it was a mistake on our spies' part?" Hiruzen suggested, eyes sharpening at the new idea.

"That _does _seem likely," she agreed, "it's not uncommon for missions ranked B and above."

"Seeing as the mission is going to be something that causes even the civilians to make such a fuss over it and ruin the White Fang's reputation, it could not have been a B-rank. And S-ranks are rarely anything but solo missions," the Hokage massaged the bridge of his nose. "Well, that narrows it down considerably."

Kushina wrinkled her nose, "An A-rank, huh? Of course, we could be wrong, but doubt it."

"Well, it's not like we can skip that mission," Jiraiya said solemnly, voicing out everyone's unspoken thoughts. "And we can't just ignore it and throw the task onto someone else's shoulders."

"We can't really do anything or prepare for it unless we find out more about the mission," the Uzumaki combed a hand through her long, fiery hair. It was a small habit she did whenever she was thinking over something, and Minato had often commented on it. "We don't even know when it is or the details of the mission." Jiraiya let out a breath of irritation.

"This sure is complicated."

* * *

"Our first mission?" Naruto repeated, joy and excitement filling her eyes. At their sensei's nod, she grinned, and whirled around to see her teammates. "Did you hear that, guys?"

Kakashi nodded, eyes wide, and Genma smirked, one side of his cheek bulging from the lollipop in his mouth. Taking it out, he turned to Sakumo, "What rank?"

"C." Sakumo rubbed his chin with a thumb thoughtfully, "It's a simple escort mission to and from Otafuku Gai; that's a recently build town, and apparently our client is a man who wants to open up a shop there."

"Is he rich?" Naruto inquired curiously, and glared at Genma in envy as he moved the candy against his other cheek. She wanted to eat a lollipop, too...

"I think so," the Hatake chuckled. "I heard he's pretty stingy about his money though. Only thing keeping him from hiring better security is the cost."

"I don't like stingy people," she wrinkled her nose disapprovingly, her previous elation for their first team mission gone already.

Kakashi eyed her with a raised eyebrow. "Like you're any different."

"Hey!"

"Everyone knows itー" Naruto's bangs seemed to spike up, very much like an angered cat.

"Scarecrow!"

"Kamaboko!"

"You two..." Sakumo sighed, making them tense and immediately stop their bickering. "Just look at Genma. Follow his example."

The two scowled at their teammate, who scowled back in annoyance.

"Oi, you three, let's go." The three genin perked up.

"We have a client to meet."

* * *

Sarutobi Hiruzen sat back, thoroughly satisfied with this year's bunch of fresh genin. Unlike most years, this particular one was rather large in quantity, and the kids had raw potential. Them being extraordinarily young could be counted as both an advantage or a disadvantage; they may be _too _young and fail the missions, or they may prove to be successful and stay alive, protecting Konoha as they grow stronger and stronger. He can only hope and believe it would be the latter.

War was approaching.

The Hokage sighed heavily, and picked up his pipe. Chewing on the tip, he stared at the lightly crinkled paper. Konohagakure needed as many protectors, warriors, as possible; the number of attacks coming from neighboring shinobi villages is increasing at a worrying rate.

Hiruzen rested his head against his palm, deciding to switch to different matters in his head as he rubbed his temple tiredly. Thinking back on Naruto's memories, a small smile touched his face, entertained by the memory of seeing Kakashi as such a perverted oddball. The future version of him definitely took after his father, with his mother's narrow jawline and facial structure (though it was hard to distinguish due to the darn mask). And to think that the stoic, stiff boy he knew now would eventually be the sensei of such a dysfunctional team!

His momentary, small amusement soon disappeared once remembering about one of Kakashi's future students.

Uchiha Sasuke.

What on _earth _was he going to do for that boy? Of course, he would avoid the Uchiha 'Massacre', but what about Danzō? From what he saw through everything Naruto knew, the man never changed, never realized the wrong in his doings. From what _he _knew, Danzō was always too stubborn to admit that the things he did was wrong.

The Sandaime knew there was only one option to deal with the man. Though Danzō didn't realize it, he had more than enough evidence of his crimes, and it would surely catch the slippery man redhanded. Well, maybe the man _did, _but merely didn't believe the Hokage would take such a risky step. The Shimura had followers in ROOTーwhich was supposed to be _disbanded_ーafter all. And, as far as his knowledge extends, the only people left who would care for him when gone were Hiruzen, Koharu, and Homura. The Sarutobi wasn't even sure if the latter two even _liked _Danzō. They got along well, but he could tell that their supposed closeness was artificial, only there to keep appearances and their social standing stable.

The knocking of his door snapped him out of his thoughts. "Enter," his gruff voice called out. Hiruzen's musings have gotten into it, it seemed.

"Hokage-sama, Namikaze Minato is here to see you." The female secretary paused for a short moment, noticing his weary face. "Shall I send him away?"

"Please tell him I had a sudden appointment." He sighed once she left the room, rubbing his forehead. One problem he had to face before Danzō, apparently, was his stubborn but highly promising jounin shinobi.

Good grief.

* * *

Naruto stared up at the short, chubby man curiously. She didn't expect him to have such a happy, pleasant grin upon meeting them for the first time at the Hokage's office; when Sakumo-sensei had told them about his trait of being stingy, she pictured their client to be all scowls and growls. Plus, his son, a four year old boy, was pretty cute, too. Almost like a puppy. Though he shyly hid behind his father, he kept stealing peeks at her and her teammates.

Both had a light shade of brown for their short, curly hair, dark green eyes, and while the father's nose was crooked and tall, the son's nose was straight. Sakumo inwardly sighed with a little relief; their attire was civilian, but appropriate for the possibility of the mission going bad. Easy to run in. Not that a measly C-rank mission would be too hard, but one can never be sure.

"I'm Dai, and this is my son, Natsu." He pushed Natsu forward, urging him to greet them properly. The boy's red face glowed as he gave a quick nod and kept his eyes on the ground. "Sorry, he insists on coming with me, and, well, my wife thinks it will be a good experience for him to have a look outside Konoha. You know, before it's too... late."

Sakumo's eyes shone in understanding; the news of conflict starting up had spread through the village, and was rumored to be a long one. "I'm Hatake Sakumo. Don't worry, you both will be safe in our hands," he sent the two civilians a reassuring smile, and looked down at his team, pride evident in his eyes. "Though they may not look it, these three are all excellent students of mine. Introduce yourselves, kiddos."

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto! It's nice to meet you," the blonde girl of the bunch announced cheerfully, and Dai had taken an immediate liking to her. She was adorable.

Smiling, he shook her tiny hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you too, Naruto-chan." Turning to the boy next to her, he took notice of his silver hair, similiar to their jounin sensei's.

Dai raised a brow, noticing the way the kid had took a small step closer to the Uzumaki, and a knowing smile grew on his face. "Hatake Kakashi," the boy nodded his head as a greeting, before looking squarely at Natsu.

The last genin seemed to be a little older than his teammates, being slightly taller. Dai took note of the starking similarity between him and Kakashi; how he also nodded once, and addressed himself without using any unnecessary words. "Shiranui Genma."

Sakumo shot them a disapproving look, obviously at their short introductions, before offering Dai and Natsu an apologetic smile. "As you can see, these two aren't talkers. They're working on it, though." He set his hands on the boys' shoulders, unnerving them. "Aren't you?"

"...Yes... sir."

"...Yes, sir."

* * *

Natsu stared curiously at the blonde girl walking next to him from the corner of his eyes, not at all noticing the heavy glaring casted his way. Ninjas seemed really cool. They looked really cool. The way they walked, watched their surroundings carefully, the clothes they wore; all of it made them look awesome.

Being a ninja would seem really cool, that is what he concluded in his young mind.

He enjoyed the soft breeze of the wind, and the warm rays of sunshine. He was grateful for the season; had it been summer, it would have been too hot, and had it been winter, it would have been too cold. Autumn was the season he favored.

He guessed he also liked the colors of autumn too. Genma heard from his father that C-ranks weren't dangerous, so he took his time staring at the trees' red, brown, and yellow leaves. He didn't turn around to see his two teammates, knowing that they are glaring at every rustle the trees make.

He had only been partially correct, however. Kakashi was focused on scowling at their client's son, who seemed to be watching Naruto way too much. Did the boy, Natsu, not see that he was being too close to her?

Apparently not.

Genma sighed irritably, and nudged him. "You're ruining the mood."

"What mood?" Kakashi shot back, loud enough for Naruto and Natsu to hear.

The latter let a small pout show. "Are they always like that?" He whispered, facing the blonde.

Naruto wrinkled her nose disapprovingly at her teammates, and smiled at him. "Yeah. I wish those two will stop," she huffed, "but it's mostly Kakashi starting the fights."

"Why?"

"Who knows." Rolling her eyes, she brightened up when she asked him, "So, what does your daddy do?"

A wide grin lightened his face at the swift change of subject, and, with much adoration for his father, explained. "Papa makes tons and tons of toys, and everyone loves 'em." He took out a hand-sized robot dog from his pocket, "This is one of them, and when you switch it on, it acts like a real puppy!"

Kakashi and Genma's banter long forgotten, Naruto's eyes widened when Natsu flipped the switch. The dog came to life, wagging it's tail once seeing the attention he was given. "Woah! How'd he do that?"

"Papa uses magic," Natsu grinned. "He called it Catra!"

"Catra?" Naruto blinked at him, and looked back down at the robot puppy in his hand, "Do you mean "chakra"?"

"Oh! Yeah!"

"Hmm..." The two turned around to see Sakumo rub his chin thoughtfully. "I knew there were different ways of using chakra, but to think that it can be even used for toysーSo you use chakra instead of batteries?" He asked, turning to Dai.

"Yes," the man said happily, pleased to be able to share his work. "It takes quite a while, though. My chakra may be higher than the average civilian's, but making "chakra-batteries" take much more than that."

Genma looked away from Kakashi, his interest now on their conversation. "Have you had ninja training, Dai-san?"

The man blinked, and smiled down at the boy sheepishly. "I have, but because it didn't really work out because my chakra reserves never got bigger, I dropped out. I kept working on my chakra control, though, and eventually came up with the idea of making toys like the one Natsu has here."

Sakumo nodded, and, curious, inquired, "How did you come up with the idea?"

"I actually went back and forth with part-time jobs before my wifeーgirlfriend at that timeーsuggested it." He chuckled, reminiscing his memories. "She was joking, though she does adore nutcrackers a lot more than the average person. She hadn't expected me to take it seriously, but I did. Initially my shop was an ordinary one, before I thought of ways to make my toys more realisticーI remember it was thanks to a certain customer..." He seemed to be trying to recall said customer, before his eyes landed on Naruto.

"...Is there something on my face?" She asked warily, and self-consciously rubbed her cheek.

"No, I remember! That customer looks just like you!" He rubbed his chin, "Well, he has your hair and eyes, which, I must say, are quite rare. I don't think I've seen anyone else in my life with such vivid blonde and blue."

Sakumo raised his brows in surprise, "Ah, you're talking about Minato?"

"Maybe I am."

"Well, that explains how you know how to store chakra in your toys," the jounin said, looking at Natsu's robot puppy. "Seals."

"Exactly," Dai grinned, "he was the one who suggested it. I asked a shinobi friend of mine who had a knack for fuuinjutsu, and he showed me the easiest one to use to make a chakra battery." He took out a slip of paper, and Naruto recognized it. Her father had some lying around on his desk, letting her take a look at them. "My years of constant chakra training had helped me greatly in my job, and I'm pretty proud of it." The toymaker chuckled, bouncing slightly to readjust the bag on his back.

Sakumo hummed thoughtfully, inwardly calculating just how clever the man beside him is. He had to hand it to him; what Dai achieved wasn't something the average civilian could come up with, and on top of that go _through _with it.

Shaking his head in wonder, he then focused back on the mission. Their leisure walk had gotten them close enough to be just over halfway there to Otafuku Gai. "We're near a small town that has a few inns, I believe," he said to the team, taking out his map and studying it. "It would be a good idea to stop there for the night." _  
_

Naruto and Kakashi were about to protest as they still had a couple of hours before evening comes, but the former noticed Natsu's exhaustion. She nudged her best friend and pointedly gave a glance at the younger boy, making Kakashi realize the reason they were stopping so soon. He didn't like it, but he guessed it was only normal; Natsu was four, and a civilian without any ninja training whatsoever. His father would get mad if he couldn't understand that.

"Fine." Sakumo shot him an exasperated look, but he shook it off. At least he _attempted_ to keep that little tinge of annoyance out of his voice. That should be worth something, shouldn't it?

Naruto had given him the same face as their sensei, but in the end smiled. Under his mask, Kakashi beamed.

He knew Naruto would understand. She always did.


	13. Chapter Twelve

Jiraiya held the puppy at arm's length, scrutinizing it carefully. The seal seemed to have been completely removed. With a satisfied grin, he set Chibi down and gave a pat on its head. "Well, Chibisuke, looks like you're alright nowーOw!" He tugged his hand away harshly from the small dog's little fangs, and gingerly rubbed the angry red bite mark. "Ungrateful little mutt."

"He never really did like you," Kushina commented, and he shot a glare at her. "What? It's true, isn't it?"

"You didn't have to say that."

Rolling her eyes, she set the stack of plates carefully on the cupboard. "Honestly, though," she huffed, now working on piling up the letters on the kitchen counter, "Where did he go?" Jiraiya raised a brow.

"How long has Minato been gone? I was hoping for a light spar with him, but..."

She threw the bunch of paper in a box, "It's been quite a while; a couple of hours, I guess. It's odd, thoughーHe doesn't have any missions." Kushina frowned, trying to come up with reasons to why he would be away for so long. "Have you checked the training grounds?"

"...No."

She stared at him exasperatedly. "Why not?"

He rubbed the back of his neck, averting his eyes elsewhere. On a fancy red flower vase.

"Lazy pervert." She sniffed, "I bet you've been sneaking around at the bathhouse again."

He chuckled at that. "Oh, you know me so well!"

Whack.

* * *

The inn they decided to stay for the night at is big, Naruto mused with delight, and apparently, they served good food. She read through the room service menu with wide eyes, almost drooling at the picture of their miso ramen. "Sakumo-sensei, can I order that?" She asked and pointed eagerly, and the adults chuckled in amusement. Kakashi merely sighed with exasperation.

"Sure, sure. It's pretty cheap, too." Sakumo smiled warmly, and faced the other three children. "What about the rest of you?"

"Same," Genma and Kakashi replied in unison, and the latter shot the other a glare. Genma rolled his eyes, but returned it with an annoyed scowl.

"Natsu-kun, what would you like?" Sakumo turned to the boy kindly, and Natsu shyly pointed at the fried rice.

"Alright, then we'll go order down at the lobby." The two adults stood up, and Dai gave his son a grin.

"I'm sure you won't, but don't give them trouble, Natsu." The boy nodded.

The door shut with a click, and Naruto lied back on the tatami floor in excitement. "Ramen, ramen!" She chanted with delight.

Kakashi noticed Natsu's wonder at why the girl was so happy. "It's her favorite meal," he explained simply, grabbing the younger boy's attention. "She's not normal with things she likes."

"Far from it," Genma said, rolling his eyes again.

Natsu looked at Naruto, then back at them. He grinned, finding them funny.

"Great," the Shiranui sighed, "now he thinks we're all weird. Thanks a lot for that, Naruto."

"No problem!" She sang, rolling around. She loved the smell of the tatami mats. "Guys, you should try this."

"Rolling like an idiot?" Kakashi wrinkled his nose, "No."

Genma agreed with him, much to Naruto's dismay. Natsu, however, joined her in the activity.

"I knew you'd understand, Natsu-kun!" She picked up her pace in elation, and the little boy had trouble keeping up.

Her two teammates stared at them. "...Idiots."

They would never find the wonders of rolling on tatami mats, Naruto thought with pity.

* * *

Sure enough, Jiraiya found the man in an isolated training ground. "There you are," he grumbled. Because of his apprentice, the sage was roughly bopped on the head by Kushina nonstop.

The Namikaze hadn't heard him, too busy attacking the wooden post. He went on sending punches, roundhouse kicks, then several wind blades. He repeated the same sequence over and over continuously.

"Your stamina sure is impressive as always, Minato," Jiraiya called out, catching the young man's attention. Minato landed from his last, forceful kick, and doubled over.

"Jiraiya-sensei!" He managed to say through his harsh huffs, whilst trying to suck in oxygen. Bearing his upper body's weight upon his left knee with one hand, he used the other arm's sleeve to wipe off the sweat on his face. "What... brings you here?"

"I've been looking _everywhere _for you!" The sennin exaggerated; truthfully, he had only checked out the baths and the Namikaze's apartment. "Want to have a little spar? It's been quite a while since our last one."

"Yeah, but will you give me a moment? I can't reallyー" Minato collapsed on the grass and gulped in air.

Jiraiya raised a brow. "What brought this on?"

"Mm. I've been a little... annoyed. Hokage-sama's keeping things aboutー" he rolled over, so he could discreetly see the other man's response, "ーNaruto away from me, it seems."

The toad sage's eyes widened a fraction at that. He hadn't expected for Minato to catch on so quickly, but then again, this _is _his apprentice. "Now why would he do that?" He asked back, swiftly covering up his reaction with his oblivious question.

He might have imagined it, but Jiraiya caught a sliver of relief in those blue eyes at his response. "Who knows?" He sighed, and turned over again on his back. "I plan on finding out, though."

"I trust you will," Jiraiya replied, feeling dread for the day when the man actually did; because he knew, he _knows _that the blond will not be kind once the time came. That man had suddenly become the stereotypical, overprotective daddy, and overprotective daddies are not pleasant when their little girl gets hurt. And so, it will be wise to savor the sight of Namikaze Minato vulnerably crumbled to the ground while he still can. _  
_

The famous member of the Legendary Sannin whimpered.

* * *

Kakashi peaked through one eye to scan the dark, almost soundless room. Good. The others were asleep.

Getting out of his covers, he snuck over to Naruto's side. _"Oi, wake up,"_ he whispered, nudging the girl. He prayed to the lords that she won't make a fuss.

"Hm... Kakashi?" She rubbed her eyes sleepily, "What's wrong?"

_"Shh!" _He pulled her out of her futon, _"I have something to show you."_

_"Can't this wait?" _The little girl yawned, before finally giving in to Kakashi's stubborn silence. _"It better be good, Scarecrow."_

The two crept out, being mindful of the other half of the room, since surely Sakumo wouldn't allow them to go out so late into the night. The children were in another side from the two adults, as there wasn't enough space to fit their futon all together.

"Wait," she stopped him once they were a fair distance away from their room. "Can you not hold my hand so tight? It kinda hurts..."

Kakashi widened his eyes once looking back to see that their hands were entwined, just as she said. He pulled his away roughly, as if burned. "Sorry." He started walking again, and glanced back at her expectantly.

Rolling her eyes, she followed after him, down the stairs, out of the lobby (and avoiding the receptionist's scrutinizing gaze). They stopped at the yard behind the inn, and Naruto looked around the small space of dead leaves and branches. "Even the trees are dead, too," she said frowningly. Haven't they heard of gardening before? "So what's got you pulling me outta there? Do you know how late it isーI checked the clock, and it said _one in the morning._"

"Give me a minute," he grumbled, and drew hand-seals carefully. Naruto widened her eyes; she recognized that sequence.

"Wait, are youーOh my God," she gave a quick squeal of delight at the sight of a tiny brown pug. "You are... You're the best." She looked up at him with wide eyes, "You summon _puppies. _Do you know how _awesome _that is?"

Kakashi faltered at 'puppies', then buffed his chest with pride. "The summoning technique is _really _tough, you know? One needs a _lot _of chakra to master itー"

"Hey, wanna see mine?" She asked excitedly, but was already on it. Kakashi could only stare, dumbfounded, as a wet, red toad appeared in a puff of smoke.

"Youーyou know how to do it too?"

"Yep! I've summoned larger ones, but I don't want to bother with using so much chakra..." Kakashi knew she wasn't boasting, butーstill. It only grated on his nerves even more. "Our summons can be besties!"

Kakashi could only watch vacantly as Naruto pushed her little toad closer to his pug. "What's your name, lil' fella?" She asked with wide, curious eyes down at the puppy, and gave a beaming smile. Almost as bright as her frog.

"Pakkun!" It replied, surprising Naruto with how high yet boyish the voice was. _That's weird, _she pondered inwardly.

Why did she think it would be different?

Snapping out of her thoughts, she tipped her head in a small bow, before turning over to her companion. She gave her little toad a pat, "this guy here is Kocchi! Well, that's what I call him, but his real name is..." Naruto gave Kocchi a grin, letting him finish.

"Kōsuke!" The cheerful creature saluted, and raised his webby hand. Pakkun seemed surprised, and for a moment, the toad and his master wondered if the pup didn't know what a handshake was.

However, he finally brought up his paw and shook the hand on their new friendship.

Only once the two summons began indulging in their own conversation did Naruto notice that Kakashi had disappeared from beside her. "Huh?" She looked around, slight panic quickening her heartbeat. "Oh, there you are!" She let a small, relieved sigh escape her once she sat next to the boy against the wall.

Naruto only laughed at his glare, and leaned on his shoulder. The two watched the stars in silence, letting time pass by.

Before they knew it, the two were snoring softly into the night.

* * *

His pale skin shone against the moonlight. "Is she the one?"

His subordinate straightened, voice tight and dripping with fear. "Y-Yes sir."

"Hmm..." The man didn't break his gaze away from the two resting children. "What is that rat plotting with a little squirrel, I wonder..."

"C-Captain! It is not wise to call him thatー" he abruptly stopped, pinned down by the piercing, golden orbs.

The eyes of a snake.

* * *

Red, slitted eyes snapped open, and Kurama growled low in his throat.

That unpleasant stench of serpent wasn't one he found unfamiliar.

He slammed down his claws against the floor, splashing away the warm water. There wasn't anything he can do now other than sitting around, trapped inside rusty, cold bars.

At least, those bars had stopped flaking. He had enough of it sticking onto his fur and irritating his skin.

Now that the brat was asleep, the air had become less tense, and more like it had been before the damn Hokage wiped away her memories. The seal that man had activated disappeared from its place on top of the one already stuck to the cage for the night.

_"I know you can hear me," __the man's exhausted, gruff voice called out to him. "You understand this, don't you? If you have even a sliver of care for this girl, Kyuubi, even just a little amount of the attachment she has for you, protect her." _

Kurama turned back, and gave a lingering glance at the sixteen year old Naruto sleeping against the dark corner of his cage.

**"When are you going to wake up, brat?"**

He imagined her drowsy reply.

_'Five more minutes, Furball.'_

* * *

_Where was she?_

_Everywhere she looked, turned, ran, blackness would glare at her. A hateful, dark, bitter blackness that never wavered, and pursued on suffocating her._

_She ran and ran, but it still went after her. She stopped, tired, feet aching despite there being no ground to step on. She looked down, eyes wide. So how did she run? _

_She couldn't hear. She couldn't see._

_Only feel._

_She tried to wave the blackness that was barely within her reach away, until, before she knew it, she was surrounded completely._

Abomination.

Wretch.

_Words she could not understand clawed their way inside her, until another one slammed its way_ in.

**Monster.**

_She flew her head up with wide, fearful eyes, and it seemed to humor the haze around her. She drew her legs to herself, burying her head in her arms, covering her ears. Make it stop, she cried. Make it stop. _

_"...ruto." **Monster.**_

_She whimpered, her nails biting into the skin behind her ears and neck. _

_"Naruto." _**Demon.**

_She shook her head, tears running down her cheeks as she squeezed her eyes shut._

"Naruto!"

She snapped them open, and wide blue eyes reflected the worried face of Hatake Kakashi.

* * *

Minato watched his students intently as they worked on their training. Rin was practicing her magnificent chakra control, shakily walking up a tall tree, while her two teammates sparred using only taijutsu.

Gai was spectacular in that area. While Obito had the stamina and speed to keep up, it was fairly easy to see who would win the match. Minato smiled, and jumped down from the thick branch he had been sitting on. "Alright, you three, time to rotate!" He patiently waited for them to catch their breathes and run to him before stating the changes. "Obito, you'll continue practicing taijutsu with Rin. Gai, you'll be starting on what Rin was doing, chakra control."

"Hai, Sensei!" they chorused, and broke off to immediately commence their training again.

Minato chuckled, observing each of his students' faces. Gai's had scrunched up into a scowl as he faced his tree with determination, while Obito had a very noticeable blush on his cheeks. Rin, however, stood oblivious to the boy's frequent shy peeks.

The man inwardly took down notes on the performance of his team. Rin was lacking in taijutsu, even with Obito's exhaustion from his previous spar, while Gai had proven to be a young little master at the art. There were bits and pieces, though, that needed to be fixed, like Gai's habits of following instinct rather than mind. Not to mention chakra control, or almost _anything _to do with chakra is his major sore point. The only thing that the other boy in the team, Obito, needed to focus on at the moment, it seemed, is practice. The academy hadn't provided enough of that, it seems, but that's what the jounin sensei were for.

The other two were in a similar predicament as the Uchiha, and he knew that that won't be too much of a problem at all. The team was dedicated, hard-working, and hell-bent on seeing positive results. There was so much potential packed into his adorable little students, so much to let them soar high in the future, and Minato knew he could not ask for a better team.

He wanted to be the pillar that would guide them to the vast sky.

* * *

_The girl's face contorted into one of anguish as she tried to meet his gaze. _"Why?"

"'Why'?" _He smirked, but his onyx eyes did not display the fire, the passion that drew her towards him in the first place. Now, the vacancy in them was painfully close to the water's coldness biting into her aching feet. _

_He ignored the silent plea in those sapphire orbs, and dived in once more._

* * *

"You finally woke up," Kakashi let out a breath to release his previous frustration and panic. "You okay?"

Naruto furrowed her brows, bringing a hand up to her head. She looked up at the sky, noticing it was lighter than it had been before. The sun must be waking up. "Yeah, just a small... nightmare." He frowned, noticing the small terror hidden in her eyes.

"It couldn't have been small if it's left you crying like this."

"What?"

Kakashi wiped away the tear tracks on her cheeks, surprising her. "It's weird to see you like this," he merely said, stubbornly looking away. "You look weird."

That tugged a slight smile on her lips, and she slowly drew a hand ruffle his hair. "You're so not honest." She gave him a tired but still radiant grin, "Thank you, Kakashi."

He grunted, and she glanced around, remembering why they were here in the first place. "Where's Kocchi and Pakkun?"

"There." She followed the direction he pointed at, and immediately cooed at the adorable picture the sleeping summons created.

"I've seen the toads sleep before, but never with a puppy!" She grinned, and whispered as she crept closer. "That's so cute!"

He sighed. Times like these are what reminds him of the blonde being a girl. The tomboy side of her was so prominent that he had forgotten of her gender sometimes.

He had to admit, though. The two summons _were _cute when quiet.

Naruto picked up Kocchi, and waved for the silver haired boy to do the same with Pakkun. "I thought of a really good idea," she said, excited.

"What is it?"

She pointed up at the wall of the inn they were staying at, and he caught her drift. "Good for an early morning training, right? Race 'ya."

Kakashi was already on it, and, after producing an indignant yelp, she ran after him.

"That's cheating! Scarecrow!"

* * *

When the two arrived at their room, they noticed that their futons had been puffed up to look like it had someone sleeping in it. Naruto quickly went inside to poke at the lump, puzzled, and she jumped at the tug on the back of her jacket.

She whirled around to see Genma glare a half open eye up at her, "You better be gratefulーI woke up three hours earlier than I was supposed to to save your lives."

"Eh?" She turned her head to see that the sliding door to the other side of the room was open by a mere crack, and realized that their sensei must have checked in on them earlier in the night. "Thanks, Genma!" She grinned, letting a sigh of relief escape her lips. "You're the best."

"I know." He got up and turned away from her pout to look at Kakashi. Raising a brow, he questioned expectantly, "What did you drag her out for?"

The boy huffed a little at the almost accusing tone. "Nothing much."

Genma's coal eyes shifted to Naruto, who gladly answered for him. He _did_ help them, after all, so it was only right to return the favor. Plus, she liked to talk. "We went out to show each other our summons! See that puppy he's holding?" He glanced at where she pointed, and blinked. Kakashi _did _have a dog in his arms. "That's Pakkun, his summon!"

"So that toad on your head's yours?" He stated rather than inquired dryly. The girl's antics were always strange in a way, and most of all unusual. Like now.

"Yep! You catch on pretty fast, huh?" She grinned, "Guess you haven't dumbed down yet, gramps."

"Says the person who forgot her school bag at home."

"Hey. That was a long time ago!" She sniffed, "plus, I was new to the academy."

Rolling his eyes at her, he plopped back down on his futon. "If you count half a year as being 'new', then something must be wrong with your head."

"You know," Naruto began, pouting, "every time you talk to meーexcept for when someone else is with usーthere's _always _an insult in there. Sometimes hidden, often times not."

He stared at her as if she had grown two heads. "And you realize this now?"

Her eyes widened and she spluttered.

Kakashi, who had gone to the bathroom earlier, came back and found Naruto straddling Genma with a tight fist raised.

With a smirk under his mask, he said the first thing that came to mind. "You're pretty weak, huh?" The older boy glared, and his smirk grew wider.

"_Lolicon._"

Due to the racket that followed soon after, the two men woke up.

"The_ hell! _You don't even know what that _means_, Bakashi!"

The first thing Sakumo expected to see in the morning was _not _this.

While little Natsu-kun shrunk back into the corner of the room cowering in fear, Kakashi was grinding foreheads with Genma making lightning spark everywhere. Naruto stood in front of the two, torn between watching on in excitement and putting an end to it.

"What sort of insult was that supposed to be? So lame!"

Irritation smacking its way to his temple, Sakumo jumped in and whacked the three on their heads. "_What _on _earth _are you _doing_?" He ignored Naruto's pitiful whimper, and glared down at his male students. "Go fold your futon, _now._"

He leaned back against the wall, already tired. At least Naruto had the sense to pack up her things before the chaos; if she hadn't, he wouldn't know what he'd do.

"You alright, kiddo?" He asked the client's son, who nodded, teary-eyed.

The boy was sweating bullets.

Sighing, he gave on his shoulder as comfort, and went to clear his futon away.

* * *

"It's been a while, huh?" Kushina said with a forced smile. "I came because I thought you'd be lonely; with your family being away and all."

She received no response, but she was already prepared for that. "Mikoto would come by soon. She had to do some family business and meet the clan elders, apparently."

The wind carries the whispers as it caresses her hair, and a grin lifts her face. "Don't worry, your little boy's fine," she assured her, and let out a small laugh. "Lately, Naruto-chan's been helping him get by. He talks more now."

A comfortable silence settles between them again, and Kushina gives a contented smile. "As always, I feel much better when you're around. Even now, you watch over us, huh?" She quickly brushes away a tear, and stands up from her crouch. "Well, I guess I better go now. I'll talk to you longer next time, 'kay?"

She lets her fingertips trace over the engraved name on the cold, stone plate.

_'Hatake Miharu.'_

* * *

Their group had been welcomed warmly by the new city's guards as soon as they explained their mission. Before they had, however, the men had eyed the Konoha shinobi with a scrutinizing, hostile gaze. Apparently, the city's entrance had been visited by thugs frequently, so the security has gone up.

Naruto and Natsu watched in amazement as men hefting up heavy cardboard boxes passed by them, and others neatly setting up wooden tables down the streets, while Kakashi frowned, bemused. What was all the fuss about?

"It looks like they're going to have a festival tonight," said Sakumo, who had been talking to a woman sticking up signs, as he came back. He grinned, before noticing that one of his students weren't with them. "Hm? Where's Genma?"

"He went to buy dango." Kakashi pointed, wrinkling his nose scornfully, and he muttered, "rich kid."

Sharply, Sakumo looked down at him. "What was that?"

"Nothing."

_I swear, _that boy was getting cheekier by the day, the man thought with a sigh. He turned to Dai, who was contemplatively gazing at a toy store. "Dai-san, how much longer would you like us to stayーDai-san?"

"Hm? Oh, yes, sorry about that." The client chuckled sheepishly, "I was just seeing what they sell. You were saying?"

Sakumo was about to ask again, but he caught something black flash in the corner of his left eye. "Actually, it's something we can discuss later." He turned to Dai with a pleasant smile, "I'll just be off to check on something. Please stay with my students, Dai-san."

Raising a brow, the man nodded, and trailed off to the kids. Soon, the smile on the Hatake fell, and he threw looked over his shoulder.

"I know you're there."

Sakumo took silent strides, not attracting any attention at all as he sneaked in between two shops.

He stopped short at the sight of a woman of pale skin, silky long hair, and striking, violet eyes. Blinking rather owlishly, he took in the fact that his and Dai's little spy was a young kunoichi.

A shiny, crossed out Suna metal plate attached to red cloth hung around her neck.

"So, may I ask for your name, miss?" She gave him a sharp, defiant glare. He gave a small, amused smile.

Judging from her staying at the spot and refusing to back down to the White Fang of Konoha, he deduced that she was either brave, or just very, _very _prideful. Maybe a bit of both.

The kunoichi gave a smirk as she watched him eye her.

And foolish, he concluded with a smirk of his own.

* * *

When Kushina entered the empty apartment with Chibi growling in her arms, she immediately knew something was wrong.

She set down the groceries, and searched the living room with a blank stare.

The window was fully closed. She had set it to be open by a tiny crack.

There wind today weren't strong enough to shut it. She knew so, since she had been jogging with the pup.

Furthermore, Chibi would never bother to growl so loudly.

Nonchalantly, she stepped into Minato's room. She touched the tiny slip of paper camouflaged against the floor.

It was warm. Her eyes flashed.

She went into her bedroom then, her steps rushed, fists clenched.

Sure enough, the seal she hid at one corner of the room's wooden floor was warm. She didn't bother to check Naruto's room.

Storming out and grabbing her jacket from the kitchen counter, she sped out of the flat.

Someone had sneaked into their home.

* * *

The festival was very lively at night. Naruto grinned at every stall they passed by, but it soon turned into a frown in her worry of losing Natsu in the midst of the heavy crowd.

Kakashi could only watch in horror as she took Natsu's hand in hers.

Natsu was a _boy _for heaven's sake. He can handle a mere crowd such as this one. Not many pushedーhe growled at the oblivious couple that shoved past him, and gave a shove backーso it wasn't like Natsu _needed _to hold her hand.

Genma watched his teammate gawk and glare at their client's son in sheer boredom. The festival was nothing more than a celebration for the opening of a new city, and it wasn't that big. "You're just like her dad," he muttered, and somehow, the Hatake heard him. However, after shooting him a scowl, Kakashi went back to burning a hole through Natsu's head.

Genma had met Naruto's father a few times. The whole team had assembled at the blonde's house and ate dinner to celebrate their official graduation and formation. Not to mention, he had heard all about the 'ghost' incident at the Test of Courage from Kakashi, who had been complaining nonstop to Sakumo-sensei.

He rolled his eyes as Naruto proceeded to drag their group around the place, going from takoyaki stalls to goldfish scooping. She had the decency to ask Natsu where he'd like to go, though, and, shyly, the boy pointed at a stall that sold chocolate-coated bananas.

"Oh! Good choice, Nacchan!"

Somehow, the way Naruto addresses the boy had evolved from Natsu-kun to Natsu-chan to Nacchan in a span of one and a half days.

Kakashi inwardly groaned at Naruto's expectant stare, and though he survived standing his ground for the first half of the minute, he ends up losing in their heated battle of glaring. Storming off and vanishing into the crowd, he was soon followed by Genma who wanted to buy dango.

Naruto grinned triumphantly, and turned to the boy next to her. "So where to next?"

As she happily lets Natsu lead her away, the blonde fails to notice the tall figure following their shadows.

* * *

Kushina didn't bother entering from the main door of the building and immediately dashed straight for the Hokage's window. She hopped and ran up the red walls of the tower, determined to reach the leader as soon as possible.

However, as soon as she stepped foot on the flat bit of roof outside the office's window, she realized someone was waiting for her.

She liked to think she recognized pretty much all of the masks the ANBU corps had in their arsenal, and the mask of the person in front of her was not one of them. Immediately on alert, she tensed as he began to stand straight from his slight slouch against the wooden wall.

"Who are you?"

She didn't get her response. "Hmm... You're easier on the eyes than I thought you'd be." He said, and though it was a complement, the way he phrased it grated on her nerves. "It's too bad you're taken by... Namikaze Minato, was it?"

"I'll ask again," she glared, voice as cold as ice. "_Who are you?_"

"Feisty, aye?" The eyes behind the holes crinkled up in twisted amusement. "Matches your hair perfectly, Bloody Habanero. I like it."

Annoyed beyond comprehension, she gave up on trying to get even just an inkling of this man's identity. "Get out of the way. I have places to go, people to see." She attempted to hop over the fence in front of the office's window, only to be pulled down by a strong arm around her waist.

As she let out an indignant squawk, he simply grinned under his mask, which showed in his voice. "Not so fast, Uzumaki. I have a mission, you see," he chuckled, "and that's to stop you."

"You know, sharing mission details is not very shinobi-like." She glared hotly, ready to just bite his hand off. "Let me _go._"

"Like I said," he sighed irritably, sick of her resistance. "I have been assigned to _stop you. _Good night."

"Whatー"

A sharp pain stabbed the back of her neck, and her vision turned black.

* * *

"They must have gone off on their own," Kakashi gave out a frustrated breath, glaring down at the two choco-bananas in his hands. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Now, now," Genma said, chomping off a mitarashi dango ball from his stick, "no need for such jealousy, Kakashi-kun." While the Hatake turned different shades of red, spluttered, and downright shivered at the honorific attached to his name, Genma noticed something sparkle a little way ahead of them, right at the mouth of the alley.

He walked towards it curiously until he realized that next to the object he spotted, a much smaller, barely visible thing was dropped next to it. His steps gradually quickened its pace, ignoring Kakashi's yell after him.

He stopped in front of the alley. His eyes were wide, reflecting the two objects on the dusty ground above all the shock and fear storming beneath.

The silver hairpin's sapphire shone, untainted by the soil.

* * *

Blonde brows furrowed, and the girl's eyes fluttered open. As she tried to adjust her sight, she frowns at the far ceiling. Her vision becomes clearer, and she realizes that she was in some sort of warehouse. The open windows of the roof trapping her away from the starry sky, the moon proving to be the building's only source of light.

Naruto widens her blue eyes when a tall, dark figure bends over her. The cold smirk on his face sent a shudder up her spine.

Naruto belatedly realizes that she couldn't move her hands, neck, legs, bodyーthey felt far too heavy. Her eyes swim in waves of fear and anxiety as they stare up at the man. His features were sharp and very young, as if he were in his late teens. Other than his pale complexion, everything about him was black. His ebony hair hung flat around his face, cut in a layered fashion and ending right at his shoulders. He had a handsome face, slender build, though now with his shadow casted over her they only made him seem all the more sinister.

He smiles, so brightly that Naruto starts to wonder if he wanted to help her.

"How are you feeling?" He asks. The flatness of his voice lashes out at her, and she despises herself for even thinking twice about this monster.

"Whatー" She coughed, and realized her shirt under the jacket was drenched in cold sweat. Unable to resist, she cringed.

It was almost as if he read her mind. "The effect of the small amount of drug I planted in you. I'll warn you now, it lasts for quite a while." He keeps up the false, cheerful smile. "It numbs your body, and for that to work it dehydrates you a bit. Not so much that you'd die, of course. You can move your neck, so don't glare with such hate."

"W-Whyー"

He ignored her. "The average percentage of water in a child your age is seventy-five percent." He tapped his chin thoughtfully, "If I have to guess, I'd say you lack about fifteen percent right now - not too much. Pretty generous of me, don't you think?"

She noticed movement from the corner of her eyes, and turned to see Natsu rolling over to her side. "Na-Natsu!"

Her brows knit together in worry. He wasn't drugged, was he? No, she thought with relief engulfing her form, after taking in his drowsy but moving state. His wobbliness was most likely from being knocked out.

"Ah, it seems like the young master's awake," The man chuckled, but his eyes were blatantly mocking the sight of the boy. "He'll be crying for daddy anytime soon, won't he?"

Even though it was only a twitch of her finger, he noticed it. Naruto glared up at him defiantly, as she tried to fist her hands. Her anger only flared up at the lack of success in such a simple act. "Who are you?" Her voice dripped with venom, taking the man back.

After his momentary surprise, he gave a small smirk of amusement. "So young yet so fierce." His eyes crinkled up. "It's common manner to introduce yourself before asking others for their names."

"I don't think poisoning innocent children is considered common manner."

He smiled, and his smile reminded her of a porcelain mask. "You do have a point, I admit. Well, I'll answer your questionーIt's not like you'll last long anyways.

"I'm a mere wandering shinobi, taking up rewarding missions. This one I'm on is particularly high in its cash."

Warily, she demanded he go on. "Not very patient, are you?" Running a hand through his smooth hair, he did as she wished. "My client is a particularly power-driven one, you see, and he seems to want to take over this village."

Her eyes widened, "What do you mean?" She paused, biting her lip. "Why are you telling me this in the first place?"

He raised a thin brow, almost amused at her question. "Out of boredom, girl, and don't you remember what I said just a moment ago?" He crouched, flicking her hair from her face in, what she already knew, was fake fondness. "You won't last long."

Oh how she terribly wanted to slap his cold fingers away.

"My client ordered me to lay low as to not arouse any suspicion, and who am I to object? That's where my boredom came from." He crouched, flicking her hair from her face in, what she already knew, was fake fondness. "I want the money, but I also want to have some fun. You seem to provide that, with your witty little responses and amusing faces, and I've grown sick of silence after watching you brats sleep the whole time. Now, do you want me to go on with my tale?"

She wanted to give a snarky 'no' just to get him to have even a _bit _of annoyance, _something _expressed on his face, but bit it back. She looked up at him expectantly.

"He plans on taking over the new city to have the money it makes," Sai says, walking over to sit on a wooden crate. "The city is very popular with its modern advancements and convenient structure, you know; many spacious apartments, department stores, all that, and so many wealthy families plan on moving in. Basically, a land of gold."

"He wants to destroy the city and recreate it as his own by using Dai's shop." He smirked, "And by destroying the city, it means breaking down Tanzaku-Gai from the inside. Interesting, no?"

She could only stare in shock, trying to soak in the information. He gives a little show of a crestfallen expression at her lack of response. "No reaction from you? That's not entertaining at all."

She grit her teeth, "You think this is all a game? Messing up a city?" Did he not see the bustling, excited people? Their happiness for their new home?

His eyes widened a fraction in mock-wonder. "Why, of course. What else would it be?" He curled one corner of his lip up, and stared down coldly. "Winner's get their prize, losers get their loss."

"You're a..." She tried to think of the perfect word. "_Monster._" _  
_

She regretted the moment she said it. As her mind was being pulled back in the nightmares of her dreams, he chuckled.

"Monster?" He tugged her hair toward himself painfully, smiling all the while. "Girl, I'm Sai."

Her eyes widened with shock that she didn't even understand herself.

While the man, Sai, watched her with a raised brow, her mind went racing in confusion. Why did the name seem to tug at her conscience so much?

As her eyes flicker over to meet his calculating stare, her heart pounded into her ears.

* * *

**Whoot, finally done!**

**This was a hell of a monster to write :/ Sorry for the delay as usual...**

**Yeah, I won't make promises ever again. Holy, this is way over a month over due... Again, sorry TAT  
**

**I'll try to send the replies asap, but tests and clubs have been pressing hard on me lately, so no guarantees. **

**Thanks for reading, and I'll be looking forward to your feedback and criticisms :) **

** - By the way, I've been messing around with the plot (do I even have a proper plot line anymore...? ToT) once again, so there might be huge plot hole gaps that I fail to notice. If you spot one (or a possible one) please inform me. The last thing I want is to realize too late. **


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